EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Medical/Dental Education

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental education programmes include infection control and anti-microbial prescribing.

Margaret Hodge: Infection control and anti-microbial prescribing are included in the undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental education programmes in England, in line with the requirements of the competent authorities.

Higher Education Students

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of applicants for higher education places have come from low income families in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Information on applicants to full- time undergraduate courses in higher education is collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). UCAS does not collect any specific information about family income but rather assigns social class to applicants based upon the occupation of the parent with the highest income in the applicants household, as reported by the potential student. For applicants aged 21 or over, the occupation of the person contributing the highest income to the household is used.
	UCAS data on people applying to enter higher education in 1997 to 2001 are shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of home applicants to full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses by social class
		
			  Higher social class(1) Lower social class(2) 
		
		
			 1997 71 29 
			 1998 71 29 
			 1999 71 29 
			 2000 71 29 
			 2001 71 29 
		
	
	(1) Covers professional, intermediate and skilled (non-manual) social classes.
	(2) Covers skilled (manual), partly skilled and unskilled social classes.
	The Government are committed to raising the participation rates for people from less affluent family backgrounds, and has introduced Excellence Challenge, including the AimHigher campaign, which is targeted at raising attainment and aspirations among young people who traditionally would not consider going to university.

Higher Education Students

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the higher education institutions showing the proportion of undergraduate students of each social class.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 10 June 2002
	The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Further Education

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what levels of funding for Further Education will be given to Bridgwater College and Carrington College in the years (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total budget is for Somerset in further education for (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Higher Education Funding Council

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the composition of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's settlement for the next financial year; and if she will calculate the current unit of funding per student in comparison with that apportioned in 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Publicly planned funding for higher education in 2003–04 was set out in the grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England issued in November 2001:
	Recurrent Funding—£5,650 million
	Capital—£364 million
	Access and Hardship—£115 million.
	These figures may be amended following the outcome of the 2002 Spending Review. Publicly planned funding per full time equivalent student is set out at Table 4.8 of the Department's Annual Report for 2002. It shows a planned real terms value of £4,920 in 2003–04, compared to £4,910 in 1997–98.

Capital Requirements (Higher and Further Education)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has (a) made and (b) commissioned of the capital requirements of (i) the higher education and (ii) the further education sectors.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The capital requirements of the higher and further education sectors are part of the confidential advice offered to my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This advice has been informed by a number of reviews, including a review of the higher education estate by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors; a report by J. M. Consulting "Teaching and Learning Infrastructure in Higher Education" (HEFCE publication 2002/31); by a further review by J. M. Consulting, published in March 2002, reporting on investment in university research infrastructure, and by ongoing studies commissioned to examine Estate Management Statistics and compliance with the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act in Further Education.

Fee-paying Students

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards meeting the targets for the recruitment of international fee-paying students in the higher education and further education sectors under the Prime Minister's initiative; and what value has accrued to the United Kingdom economy from the campaign so far.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Our targets are to attract 25,000 extra further education students and 50,000 extra higher education students from outside the EU by 2005 (compared to 1996–97). Based on actual figures for England, Northern Ireland and Scotland and an estimate for Wales, 46,609 students from non-EU countries took full-time courses at further education colleges in the UK in 2000–01, compared to 25,102 in 1996–97 The extra 21,500 students made an estimated fee and non-fee contribution to the UK economy in 2000–01 in the region of £215 million. The non-EU total for international students in full-time UK higher education has risen to 140,905 for 2001–02, compared to 109,940 in 1996–97. For 2001–02, the additional 30,965 students make an estimated fee and non-fee contribution to the UK economy broadly in the region of £480 million.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 had been spent by 31 May; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 130W.

Language Teaching

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the Government intend to improve provision for teaching (a) Spanish and (b) Mandarin at (i) pre-16 and (ii) post-16 level.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 18 June 2002
	The National Curriculum requires schools to offer at least one of the working languages of the European Union. Only when they have met this requirement may they offer non-European languages.
	The Key Stage 3 National Strategy aims to achieve higher standards, good continuity, greater motivation and better learning in all subjects learnt by 11 to 14-year-olds, including modern foreign languages.
	The Learning and Skills Council takes account of national, regional and local needs in deciding how to plan and fund all post-16 (excluding HE) modern foreign language learning. It is for individual universities and colleges to decide which subjects and courses they offer students, in the light of student demand.
	The Government will publish their national languages strategy in the autumn which will outline their plans for improving the language capability of people of all ages.

Examination Marking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research has been undertaken by her to examine the quality and consistency of marking in public examinations.

Ivan Lewis: The awarding bodies' arrangements for marking in public examinations are governed by a Code of Practice which is designed to ensure that standards are consistent within and across awarding bodies and over time. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is responsible for monitoring compliance with the Code of Practice. QCA conducts scrutinies in a range of subjects each year covering GCSE, GCE, VCE, and GNVQ qualifications. QCA publishes reports on its websites including reports on standards over time.
	In 2000, the QCA set up an independent panel of advisers to review the adequacy of its quality assurance systems designed to maintain A-level standards. The panel reported to QCA early in 2002 with a firm endorsement of its quality assurance systems.

Examination Marking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what statistics she collates on the number of students who have lost or had to postpone university places because the results of re-marked exam scripts arrived too late for consideration.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not collected centrally.

Teachers

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time teachers in maintained schools, broken down by age, moved between Government office regions in the last 12 months.

David Miliband: The numbers of teachers in regular full-or part-time service in the maintained schools sector in England at 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000 who moved between Government office regions are listed as follows. (This is the most recent year for which provisional data are available.) The numbers do not include teachers moving between full-time and part-time service within the maintained schools sector, or those who moved out of regular service in the maintained schools sector in England.
	
		
			  Full-time Part-time 
		
		
			 Under 25 280 10 
			 25 to 29 2,000 50 
			 30 to 34 1,140 70 
			 35 to 39 630 70 
			 40 to 44 500 60 
			 45 to 49 440 40 
			 50 to 54 240 40 
			 55 to 59 40 20 
			 60 and over 10 10 
			  
			 Total 5,280 350 
		
	
	Some 10 per cent. to 20 per cent. of part-timers are not recorded on the Teachers' Pensions Scheme, from which the data are obtained.
	Figures may not add to totals due to rounding. Age is at 31 March 2000.

Teachers

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time qualified teachers (i) left and (ii) joined maintained schools broken down by (A) age, (B) gender and (C) type of authority in each Government office region in the last 12 months.

David Miliband: The numbers of teachers (i) leaving and (ii) joining regular full- or part-time service in the maintained schools sector in England between 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000 are shown in the table. The numbers do not include teachers moving between full- and part-time service within the maintained schools sector, or moving between regular service in a maintained school in one Government office region to regular service in a maintained school in another Government office region.
	
		(i) Leavers between 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000
		
			  Under 25 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 54 55 to 59 60 and over Total 
		
		
			  Male—full-time 
			 North-east (3)— 30 30 20 30 60 110 30 30 340 
			 North-west 10 90 90 80 90 140 260 100 90 950 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 10 70 70 50 50 100 180 60 80 660 
			 East Midlands 10 60 50 50 50 90 160 50 40 550 
			 West Midlands 10 90 70 60 70 130 220 60 70 790 
			 East of England 10 120 90 70 70 100 170 60 80 780 
			 London 10 190 190 170 140 150 190 70 80 1,190 
			 South-east 20 190 130 110 110 160 240 90 110 1,140 
			 South-west 10 80 70 60 60 90 180 70 60 680 
			 England 90 920 790 660 660 1,010 1,710 600 650 7,080 
			
			  Female—full-time 
			 North-east 30 140 80 60 70 100 150 70 80 770 
			 North-west 40 310 260 190 180 300 390 200 230 2,100 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 40 220 140 110 120 190 260 120 130 1,330 
			 East Midlands 30 230 140 100 100 170 220 90 100 1,190 
			 West Midlands 40 320 230 160 160 280 330 140 160 1,830 
			 East of England 40 390 280 140 160 240 320 150 190 1,910 
			 London 60 740 590 300 230 250 350 160 260 2,950 
			 South-east 80 670 450 220 250 380 500 230 290 3,060 
			 South-west 30 310 220 130 100 180 290 110 130 1,510 
			 England 400 3,330 2,390 1,410 1,380 2,080 2,810 1,270 1,570 16,640 
			
			  Male—part-time 
			 North-east (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 10 20 10 10 50 
			 North-west (3)— 10 (3)— 10 10 10 40 50 40 170 
			 Yorkshire and Humber (3)— (3)— 10 (3)— 10 10 30 30 20 110 
			 East Midlands (3)— (3)— 10 10 (3)— 10 60 40 60 190 
			 West Midlands (3)— 10 (3)— 10 10 20 50 40 50 180 
			 East of England (3)— (3)— 10 10 10 10 50 50 70 200 
			 London (3)— 10 10 20 10 20 40 30 60 190 
			 South-east (3)— (3)— 10 10 20 20 50 50 70 220 
			 South-west (3)— (3)— 10 10 20 20 50 30 40 180 
			 England (3)— 30 60 80 100 130 390 310 400 1,490 
			
			  Female—part-time 
			 North-east (3)— (3)— 30 20 20 50 50 20 20 210 
			 North-west (3)— 30 80 100 100 160 160 80 90 800 
			 Yorkshire and Humber (3)— 20 60 80 80 120 120 50 50 580 
			 East Midlands (3)— 20 60 80 110 110 130 90 80 690 
			 West Midlands (3)— 30 90 120 140 180 170 80 90 910 
			 East of England (3)— 30 90 140 190 190 200 110 150 1,100 
			 London (3)— 40 130 150 130 120 150 80 170 950 
			 South-east (3)— 50 160 180 260 270 320 150 170 1,560 
			 South-west (3)— 30 120 110 160 220 210 90 80 1,010 
			 England 10 260 820 970 1,190 1,410 1,510 740 900 7,810 
		
	
	(3) Less than five
	Note:
	Many of the teachers leaving the profession in this year will come back into service at some point in the future.
	
		(ii) Entrants between 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000
		
			  Under 25 25 to 29 30 to 34 35 to 39 40 to 44 45 to 49 50 to 54 55 to 59 60 and over Total 
		
		
			  Male—full-time 
			 North-east 70 80 40 30 30 20 20 (4)— (4)— 310 
			 North-west 210 290 170 110 70 80 60 10 10 1,010 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 140 180 110 80 60 40 30 10 (4)— 640 
			 East Midlands 120 140 80 70 40 50 40 10 10 540 
			 West Midlands 160 200 120 80 60 50 40 20 10 730 
			 East of England 190 210 90 80 70 70 50 20 10 770 
			 London 200 360 240 140 80 70 60 20 10 1,180 
			 South-east 270 370 200 140 120 100 50 10 10 1,260 
			 South-west 140 220 100 80 70 50 30 10 (4)— 690 
			 England 1,500 2,030 1,140 810 600 520 380 100 40 7,120 
			 Female—full-time 
			 North-east 370 250 90 70 90 70 30 10 (4)— 970 
			 North-west 1,040 700 300 250 260 200 100 30 10 2,890 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 690 430 190 180 160 140 60 10 (4)— 1,860 
			 East Midlands 550 370 170 140 150 120 60 10 (4)— 1,560 
			 West Midlands 880 540 220 190 170 150 80 20 (4)— 2,260 
			 East of England 920 580 230 250 240 190 120 20 10 2,550 
			 London 1,200 1,080 470 330 230 200 120 20 20 3,680 
			 South-East 1,270 930 400 330 350 320 180 40 10 3,810 
			 South-west 630 520 200 180 200 120 80 10 (4)— 1,930 
			 England 7,560 5,400 2,260 1,930 1,840 1,500 810 170 60 21,520 
			
			  Male—part-time 
			 North-east (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— 20 10 10 50 
			 North-west (4)— 10 10 10 10 20 30 20 20 130 
			 Yorkshire and Humber (4)— 10 10 10 10 10 30 10 10 110 
			 East Midlands 10 10 10 10 20 10 40 30 20 140 
			 West Midlands (4)— 10 10 10 10 10 30 30 20 130 
			 East of England (4)— 10 10 10 10 10 30 30 30 150 
			 London (4)— 10 10 20 10 20 30 20 20 140 
			 South-east 10 10 10 20 20 30 60 30 20 210 
			 South-west 10 10 10 20 30 20 50 30 20 200 
			 England 40 90 90 110 120 120 330 210 160 1,250 
			
			  Female—part-time 
			 North-east 10 10 20 40 60 40 40 20 10 250 
			 North-west 30 50 80 130 190 150 130 60 30 850 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 20 30 60 110 120 90 80 20 20 550 
			 East Midlands 10 40 70 110 130 90 80 30 20 580 
			 West Midlands 20 40 70 110 140 140 110 40 20 680 
			 East of England 10 40 100 160 190 170 150 50 50 910 
			 London 10 50 90 120 160 160 130 50 50 800 
			 South-east 10 60 150 250 360 280 240 80 50 1,470 
			 South-west 40 60 100 150 230 200 120 60 30 990 
			 England 160 380 760 1,170 1,560 1,320 1,090 390 260 7,080 
		
	
	(4) Less than five.
	Notes:
	Some 10 to 20 per cent. of part-timers are not recorded on the teachers' pension scheme, from which the data are obtained.
	Figures may not add to totals due to rounding.
	The figures are for the most recent year for which data (provisional) are available.

Teachers

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average length of service of (a) full-time and (b) part-time teachers leaving maintained schools in the last 12 months was, broken down by Government office region.

David Miliband: The average length of service in years of teachers leaving regular full or part-time service in the maintained schools sector in each Government Office Region in England between 31 March 1999 and 31 March 2000 is listed below. (This is the most recent year for which provisional data are available.) The numbers do not include teachers moving between full and part-time service within the maintained schools sector, or moving between regular service in a maintained school in one Government Office Region to regular service in a maintained school in another Government Office Region.
	
		
			   Full-time Part-time 
		
		
			 North East 15.5 16.9 
			 North West 16.3 16.3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 15.9 16.4 
			 East Midlands 15.6 17.1 
			 West Midlands 15.4 16.6 
			 East of England 14.1 16.4 
			 London 11.3 15.7 
			 South East 13.3 14.9 
			 South West 14.5 14.7 
			
			 England 14.3 15.9 
		
	
	Some 10 to 20 per cent. of part-timers are not recorded on the Teachers' Pension Scheme, from which the data are obtained.
	Figures may not add to totals due to rounding.

Teachers

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the most recent teacher vacancy rates are, broken down by local education authority area.

David Miliband: Teacher vacancies expressed as a percentage of teachers in service in the maintained schools sector in England by local education authority in January 2001 are listed below. Data for January 2002 are not yet available at local education authority level.
	Information on teacher vacancies in January 2002 by local education authority will be published in the Teachers in England statistical volume in December 2002.
	Provisional national figures have been published in the Statistical First Release Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, January 2002 (Provisional).
	
		
			  Area  
		
		
			 City of London 0.0 
			 Camden 5.2 
			 Greenwich 3.6 
			 Hackney 8.0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 5.9 
			 Islington 5.0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 6.6 
			 Lambeth 3.7 
			 Lewisham 4.2 
			 Southwark 6.0 
			 Tower Hamlets 8.6 
			 Wandsworth 3.7 
			 City of Westminster 4.8 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1.7 
			 Barnet 4.4 
			 Bexley 4.8 
			 Brent 1.2 
			 Bromley 2.9 
			 Croydon 3.2 
			 Ealing 3.4 
			 Enfield 2.7 
			 Haringey 2.5 
			 Harrow 4.5 
			 Havering 2.2 
			 Hillingdon 2.7 
			 Hounslow 1.0 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2.5 
			 Merton 1.7 
			 Newham 4.6 
			 Redbridge 2.0 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3.5 
			 Sutton 0.7 
			 Waltham Forest 0.4 
			 Birmingham 0.9 
			 Coventry 1.0 
			 Dudley 1.1 
			 Sandwell 2.0 
			 Solihull 1.7 
			 Walsall 0.7 
			 Wolverhampton 1.6 
			 Knowsley 0.8 
			 Liverpool 0.0 
			 St Helens 0.5 
			 Sefton 0.6 
			 Wirral 0.7 
			 Bolton 0.3 
			 Bury 0.3 
			 Manchester 0.0 
			 Oldham 0.7 
			 Rochdale 0.3 
			 Salford 0.2 
			 Stockport 1.2 
			 Tameside 1.3 
			 Trafford 0.0 
			 Wigan 0.4 
			 Barnsley 1.3 
			 Doncaster 0.4 
			 Rotherham 0.0 
			 Sheffield 0.4 
			 Bradford 0.0 
			 Calderdale 0.4 
			 Kirklees 0.3 
			 Leeds 0.8 
			 Wakefield 0.5 
			 Gateshead 0.4 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 0.9 
			 North Tyneside 0.8 
			 South Tyneside 0.0 
			 Sunderland 0.8 
			 Isles of Scilly 0.0 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0.7 
			 City of Bristol 1.0 
			 North Somerset 0.5 
			 South Gloucestershire 0.4 
			 Hartlepool 0.6 
			 Middlesbrough 1.7 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1.5 
			 Stockton on Tees 0.9 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 0.4 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0.3 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1.6 
			 North Lincolnshire 0.8 
			 North Yorkshire 0.3 
			 York 0.5 
			 Bedfordshire 2.6 
			 Luton 4.2 
			 Buckinghamshire 1.8 
			 Milton Keynes 1.3 
			 Derbyshire 0.9 
			 Derby 0.9 
			 Dorset 0.7 
			 Poole 2.0 
			 Bournemouth 0.7 
			 Durham 0.9 
			 Darlington 1.1 
			 East Sussex 1.4 
			 Brighton and Hove 1.1 
			 Hampshire 2.2 
			 Portsmouth 4.5 
			 Southampton 3.4 
			 Leicestershire 0.7 
			 Leicester 1.8 
			 Rutland 0.0 
			 Staffordshire 0.6 
			 Stoke on Trent 1.1 
			 Wiltshire 0.7 
			 Swindon 1.5 
			 Bracknell Forest 2.4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 3.9 
			 West Berkshire 0.9 
			 Reading 4.4 
			 Slough 6.7 
			 Wokingham 1.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 0.1 
			 Peterborough 0.5 
			 Cheshire 0.5 
			 Halton 0.6 
			 Warrington 0.7 
			 Devon 1.1 
			 Plymouth 0.0 
			 Torbay 1.0 
			 Essex 2.3 
			 Southend on Sea 2.0 
			 Thurrock 6.9 
			 Herefordshire 1.6 
			 Worcestershire 0.2 
			 Kent 2.0 
			 Medway 2.6 
			 Lancashire 0.7 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1.6 
			 Blackpool 0.5 
			 Nottinghamshire 0.0 
			 Nottingham 2.2 
			 Shropshire 0.2 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0.4 
			 Cornwall 0.0 
			 Cumbria 0.2 
			 Gloucestershire 0.3 
			 Hertfordshire 0.6 
			 Isle of Wight 0.7 
			 Lincolnshire 0.4 
			 Norfolk 1.3 
			 Northamptonshire 0.4 
			 Northumberland 0.0 
			 Oxfordshire 0.4 
			 Somerset 0.3 
			 Suffolk 1.8 
			 Surrey 1.6 
			 Warwickshire 1.2 
			 West Sussex 1.6

Teachers

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers who were trained in (a) London and (b) other Government office regions took their first teacher post in the capital in the last 12 months.

David Miliband: The provisional numbers of Initial Teacher Training completers in calendar year 1999 who were in full or part time service in the maintained schools sector in the London Government Office Region at 31 March 2000 were as follows:
	
		
			 Regions of ITT  Numbers 
		
		
			 London 1,870 
			 North East 30 
			 North West 130 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 80 
			 East Midlands 90 
			 West Midlands 70 
			 East of England 190 
			 South East 230 
			 South West 140 
			 OU and SCITT 30 
			 England 2,880 
		
	
	The numbers shown as in service may increase as a result of late receipt of annual service returns. This is the most recent available information.
	Some 10 per cent. to 20 per cent. of part-timers are not recorded on the Teachers' Pension Scheme, from which the data are obtained.
	This information was published in the Statistical of Education volume Teachers in England (including teachers pay for England and Wales) 2001 edition, a copy of which is in the Library.

Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to identify teacher shortages in schools for the beginning of the next academic year.

David Miliband: holding answer 26 June 2002
	The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is in regular contact with Local Education Authorities, notably Recruitment Strategy Managers, to share information regarding any teacher shortages.

Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will identify by (a) geographical area and (b) subject specialisation, where there is difficulty recruiting and/or retaining teachers.

David Miliband: holding answer 26 June 2002
	There were 9,400 full-time equivalent more regular teachers in schools in January 2002 (provisional) than a year before. The following Table 9 shows the latest provisional teacher vacancy rates by Government office region, which reflect turnover between schools as well as indicating schools' requirements for new teachers. The table was published in SFR 05/2002 on 24 April.
	The following Table 10, also from SFR 05/2002, shows vacancy rates by subject for classroom teachers in maintained secondary schools.
	Individual schools may find recruitment and retention easier or more difficult in particular subjects depending on their particular circumstances, including geographical location, but such information is not collected centrally.
	
		Table 9: Vacancy(5) rates in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools by grade and Government office region: 1996 to 2002 -- England
		
			   Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post(6) Number of vacancies 
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(7) 2002(7) 
		
		
			 All vacancies 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.4 1.2 4,480 
			  
			 Grade(8) 
			 Head or deputy head 0.8 1.0 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.0 470 
			 Head 0.6 0.7 1.0 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 170 
			 Deputy head 1.0 1.2 1.8 1.5 1.3 1.7 1.3 300 
			 Classroom teacher 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.8 1.4 1.2 4,010 
			  
			  Government office region  
			 North East 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.8 0.7 140 
			 North West 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.6 320 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.9 370 
			 East Midlands 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9 270 
			 West Midlands 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.9 1.1 470 
			 East of England 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.9 1.7 1.8 680 
			 London(9) 1.1 1.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.5 2.6 1,320 
			 South East 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.8 1.0 2.0 1.4 770 
			 South West 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.5 170 
			 England excluding London 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 1.0 1.0 3,160 
			  
			 Total vacancies (numbers) 1,610 2,020 2,590 2,530 2,910 4,980 4,480  
		
	
	(5) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments of at least one term's duration). Includes vacancies being filled on a temporary basis of less than one term.
	(6) Teachers in post include full-time regular teachers in (or on secondment from) maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools, plus full-time regular divided service, peripatetic, advisory and miscellaneous teachers.
	(7) Provisional.
	(8) The number of teachers in post by grade is estimated using the Database of Teacher Records.
	(9) The provisional 2002 vacancy rates for the inner and outer London weighting areas are 3.1 per cent. and 2.3 per cent., respectively (4.3 per cent. and 2.7 per cent., respectively in 2001).
	Note:
	Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding.
	
		Table 10: Classroom teacher vacancy(10) rates in maintained secondary schools by subject: 1996–2002 -- England
		
			   Vacancies as a percentage of teachers in post(11) Number of  
			  1996 Old(12) 1997 New(12) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002(13) vacancies 2002(13) 
		
		
			 All vacancies 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.3 2,340 
			   
			  Main teaching subject   
			 Mathematics 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.8 1.2 2.1 1.9 380 
			 Information Technology 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.9 1.3 2.8 2.2 100 
			   
			 Sciences(14):  
			 Chemistry 0.4 0.5 .. .. .. .. .. .. 40 
			 Physics 0.5 0.4 .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 
			 Biology 0.1 0.2 .. .. .. .. .. .. 30 
			 Other and combined sciences 0.2 0.3 .. .. .. .. .. .. 270 
			 All sciences(14) 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 1.6 1.5 380 
			   
			 Languages  
			 French 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.6 1.5 1.2 120 
			 German 0.2 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.8 30 
			 Other languages 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.2 1.9 3.3 2.4 40 
			 All languages 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.7 1.5 1.2 190 
			   
			 English 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.7 1.8 1.6 320 
			 Drama 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.7 1.7 1.7 60 
			 History 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.5 40 
			 Social sciences 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.4 20 
			 Geography 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.8 70 
			 Religious education 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.8 0.5 0.7 1.8 1.6 90 
			 Design and technology 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.7 1.3 1.3 210 
			 Commercial/business studies 0.0 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.3 0.9 30 
			 Art, craft or design 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.8 60 
			 Music 0.3 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.8 1.9 80 
			 Physical education 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.8 0.9 110 
			 Special Educational Needs(15) 1.2 1.1 .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 
			 Careers 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.8 0.9 1.4 4.3 1.9 — 
			   
			 Other main and combined subjects 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.2 1.7 1.7 200 
			   
			 Total vacancies (numbers) 510 650 650 860 840 1,140 2,530 2,340  
		
	
	(10) Advertised vacancies for full-time permanent appointments (or appointments or af least one term's duration).
	(11) Teachers in post include full-time regular teachers in (or on secondment from) maintained secondary schools, plus the secondary portion of full-time divided service, peripatetic, advisory and miscellaneous teachers.
	(12) The number of teachers in post by main teaching subject is estimated using the 1992 Secondary School Staffing Survey for years 1996 and 1997 (old) and the 1996 Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey for 1997 (new), 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
	(13) Provisional.
	(14) Vacancies advertised in single sciences may be combined science classes. The distinction between single science vacancy rates and combined science has been discontinued for 1998. Corresponding figures on the old and new basis are shown for 1997.
	(15) Special Educational Needs has been included in 'other, main and combined subjects' from 1997 (new).
	Note:
	Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because of rounding.

School Fire Safety

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated cost is of damage caused by fires at schools for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect this information.

School Fire Safety

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate how many schools have been fitted with fire sprinkler systems; what percentage of schools this represents; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect data on fire sprinkler systems.
	If a fire should happen in a school, the Department's primary concern is the safety of pupils, teachers and other users. Regulation 17 of the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 requires that every part of a school building, and of the land provided for a school, shall be such that the safe escape of the occupants in case of fire is reasonably assured. Schools are also covered by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and subsequent regulations. These include aspects of fire safety.
	To help schools manage fire safety, the Department published Managing School Facilities Guide 6, "Fire Safety", in 2000. This offers guidance on how to minimise the risk of fire, including identifying hazards and carrying out risk assessments. It also gives advice on training and on fire detection and alarm systems.

Pupil:teacher Ratios (Suffolk)

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average pupil:teacher ratio was in Suffolk in each year between 1997 and 2002 in (a) primary, (b) middle and (c) upper schools.

David Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Average pupil:teacher ratio(16) in maintained primary, middle(17) and secondary schools in Suffolk LEA Position in January each year
		
			   Total Primary Secondary Middle deemed Secondary Total Secondary 
		
		
			 2002(18) 21.6 16.3 18.4 16.9 
			 2001 22.0 16.4 18.7 17.1 
			 2000 22.1 16.0 18.9 16.9 
			 1999 22.0 15.7 18.9 16.6 
			 1998 22.2 15.5 18.8 16.5 
			 1997 22.3 15.6 18.8 16.6 
		
	
	(16) The pupil:teacher ratio within schools is the ratio of full-time equivalent pupils to full-time equivalent number of teachers.
	(17) There are no middle deemed primary schools in Suffolk.
	(18) Provisional
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Education SSA

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities (a) spent and (b) proposed to spend less than SSA on education, showing the extent of the shortfalls, in each of the years 1999–2000 to 2002–03.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Education SSA

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities failed to passport increases in education SSA; and what the extent of the shortfall was in each of the years 1999–2000 to 2002–03.

David Miliband: holding answer 24 June 2002
	The names of the local education authorities which failed to passport increases in the education SSA were published in the LEAs' Local Schools Budgets Comparative Tables for each of the years 1999–2000 to 2002–03.
	The information requested is listed by each of the years in question.
	1999–2000
	Bath and North East Somerset
	Birmingham
	Blackpool
	Brighton and Hove
	Cornwall
	Darlington
	Doncaster
	East Riding of Yorkshire
	Gateshead
	Haringey
	Herefordshire
	Kingston upon Hull
	Knowsley
	Lambeth
	Lancashire
	Leicestershire
	Lewisham
	Merton
	Milton Keynes
	Newcastle upon Tyne
	North Somerset
	Redbridge
	Redcar and Cleveland
	Richmond upon Thames
	Somerset
	Southampton
	South Gloucestershire
	St. Helens
	Swindon
	Trafford
	Walsall
	Waltham Forest
	West Sussex
	Wigan
	Passporting shortfall: £24,078,000
	2000–01
	Barnet
	Brent
	North Somerset
	Redbridge
	Salford
	Somerset
	Southwark
	Passporting shortfall: £8,578,000
	2001–02
	Brent
	Bristol
	Harrow
	Northumberland
	North Somerset
	Swindon
	Wolverhampton
	York
	Passporting shortfall: £7,268,000
	2002–03
	Bedfordshire
	Brent
	Bromley
	East Riding of Yorkshire
	East Sussex
	Essex
	Hackney
	Hounslow
	Newcastle
	North Tyneside
	Poole
	Reading
	Rutland
	Slough
	Southampton
	Southwark
	South Gloucestershire
	Wolverhampton
	Passporting shortfall: £30,793,000.

Education SSA

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of education SSA was included in schools' delegated budgets in each local education authority in each year since 1999–2000, ranked by order of the most recent year.

David Miliband: holding answer 24 June 2002
	The following table shows schools' delegated budgets as a proportion of education SSA. These percentages differ from the delegation percentages published annually by the Department. Those percentages are based on the Local Schools Budget (LSB), the coverage of which differs significantly from the coverage of the Education SSA: in particular, the LSB includes expenditure financed by the Standards Fund and other specific grants, but excludes expenditure on non-school education. The percentages shown below will reflect LEAs' spending levels relative to their SSAs as well as their propensity to delegate within the LSB, and will also be affected, year to year, by changes in the scope of the SSA.
	
		Percentage 
		
			 LEA name 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Bath and North East Somerset 85.6 86.9 86.5 87.8 
			 Rutland 88.3 910 89.1 87.4 
			 South Gloucestershire 83.2 83.3 84.8 85.5 
			 Wigan 83.9 85.4 85.9 85.3 
			 City of Bristol 4.0 84.9 84.1 84.8 
			 Kingston upon Thames 81.2 81.7 85.1 84.3 
			 Sefton 79.3 84.7 85.4 84.0 
			 Poole 80.1 83.2 82.2 83.9 
			 Suffolk 82.7 82.5 81.5 83.8 
			 Havering 82.5 82.1 84.0 83.6 
			 Dudley 84.4 84.2 82.8 83.4 
			 Richmond upon Thames 80.1 80.3 81.8 83.2 
			 Southend-on-Sea 83.8 85.5 84.5 82.9 
			 Warrington 81.5 81.8 83.2 82.7 
			 Barnet 84.6 83.3 83.4 82.6 
			 Sandwell 76.0 79.6 82.7 82.6 
			 Leeds 80.9 81.2 81.1 82.4 
			 Cheshire 83.2 82.5 82.4 82.3 
			 West Berkshire 81.0 82.3 82.8 82.3 
			 Medway 77.7 79.8 80.1 82.2 
			 North Yorkshire 81.7 81.5 81.4 82.2 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 81.6 82.2 82.9 82.1 
			 Dorset 76.4 77.2 82.6 82.1 
			 North Tyneside 78.1 77.8 82.3 81.7 
			 Calderdale 77.2 78.1 78.8 81.6 
			 Coventry 79.3 79.5 81.0 81.6 
			 Birmingham 82.0 82.6 82.9 81.6 
			 Barking and Dagenham 76.8 77.4 80.8 81.5 
			 Plymouth 78.4 78.8 81.3 81.4 
			 Northamptonshire 82.8 83.2 83.1 81.4 
			 Wakefield 73.5 76.9 78.8 81.3 
			 Warwickshire 79.7 82.8 81.2 81.3 
			 Harrow 79.1 79.9 80.3 81.2 
			 Somerset 81.0 80.8 81.2 81.2 
			 Nottingham 75.8 76.4 79.2 81.1 
			 Portsmouth 83.0 83.1 81.7 81.1 
			 Worcestershire 77.5 79.0 79.4 81.1 
			 Doncaster 77.1 78.1 80.0 81.0 
			 Staffordshire 79.4 78.6 79.3 81.0 
			 York 82.3 81.5 81.1 81.0 
			 Telford and Wrekin 78.2 79.5 79.6 81.0 
			 North East Lincolnshire 78.3 79.3 79.2 80.9 
			 St. Helens 76.4 79.6 80.9 80.9 
			 Nottinghamshire 81.9 81.3 80.8 80.8 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 79.5 82.0 81.8 80.7 
			 Rotherham 76.2 79.7 81.0 80.6 
			 Oldham 78.7 80.8 80.8 80.6 
			 Merton 76.5 77.8 79.2 80.6 
			 Trafford 79.0 79.4 80.9 80.4 
			 Solihull 82.2 82.4 82.1 80.4 
			 Tameside 76.0 77.3 78.9 80.3 
			 Cambridgeshire 72.1 77.2 79.7 80.3 
			 Barnsley 69.5 74.5 77.5 80.3 
			 Bolton 76.9 78.4 78.3 80.2 
			 Durham 76.2 77.2 81.6 80.2 
			 Hampshire 81.3 81.2 79.5 80.2 
			 Essex 79.7 79.7 79.7 80.1 
			 Salford 74.7 79.4 80.7 80.1 
			 North Lincolnshire 76.1 78.6 80.9 80.0 
			 Stockport 78.2 78.5 80.1 80.0 
			 Lancashire 75.6 76.1 78.7 80.0 
			 Sutton 78.6 80.5 80.3 80.0 
			 Walsall 78.3 79.5 79.6 80.0 
			 Wokingham 82.4 83.3 82.2 80.0 
			 Torbay 75.2 76.3 78.5 80.0 
			 Norfolk 80.7 80.6 81.1 80.0 
			 Hillingdon 82.7 81.5 80.3 80.0 
			 West Sussex 80.4 79.8 80.0 80.0 
			 Sunderland 76.3 76.8 78.1 79.8 
			 Thurrock 76.4 77.0 77.9 79.8 
			 Hertfordshire 78.6 78.8 79.0 79.8 
			 Middlesbrough 71.0 75.5 78.5 79.8 
			 Cumbria 80.6 81.1 81.4 79.7 
			 Northumberland 77.4 77.9 81.0 79.7 
			 Kent 77.5 77.9 78.3 79.7 
			 Bedfordshire 80.6 80.3 79.4 79.6 
			 Kirklees 75.6 79.0 79.8 79.6 
			 City of Kingston Upon Hull 72.9 75.3 79.2 79.6 
			 Derbyshire 79.0 80.6 79.6 79.5 
			 Milton Keynes 73.8 74.7 76.3 79.5 
			 Bournemouth 77.5 80.0 80.6 79.3 
			 Gateshead 75.1 78.5 80.8 79.2 
			 Hartlepool 74.9 77.6 79.2 79.1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 75.4 78.8 79.9 79.0 
			 Peterborough 74.3 80.4 79.7 79.0 
			 Waltham Forest 78.2 78.9 79.5 78.8 
			 Surrey 77.1 78.6 78.6 78.8 
			 Bury 77.3 79.4 79.1 78.7 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 76.9 81.4 79.7 78.7 
			 Derby 72.5 75.0 76.8 78.7 
			 Halton 76.2 79.0 78.7 78.5 
			 Leicestershire 80.8 80.3 79.1 78.5 
			 East Sussex 77.0 77.6 78.9 78.5 
			 Hounslow 78.3 79.2 79.5 78.4 
			 Enfield 76.4 78.2 78.8 78.4 
			 Lincolnshire 78.6 81.0 79.1 78.4 
			 Luton 72.9 76.4 76.9 78.3 
			 Swindon 77.1 78.0 77.1 78.3 
			 Blackpool 72.8 75.1 77.9 78.3 
			 Wandsworth 75.8 76.9 78.1 78.3 
			 Redbridge 76.7 77.8 78.4 78.2 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 71.5 76.6 77.6 78.2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 76.0 77.3 79.3 78.1 
			 Leicester 72.1 73.7 77.9 78.0 
			 Bradford 69.9 73.0 75.8 77.8 
			 Isle of Wight 73.6 78.0 78.6 77.6 
			 Darlington 73.8 74.0 78.1 77.6 
			 Shropshire 76.8 78.5 78.6 77.6 
			 Brighton and Hove 74.6 76.2 78.0 77.5 
			 Ealing 72.5 73.3 75.9 77.5 
			 Gloucestershire 77.6 77.4 76.3 77.5 
			 South Tyneside 72.8 73.9 77.7 77.4 
			 Westminster 69.5 73.8 78.3 77.4 
			 Liverpool 72.2 77.1 77.8 77.4 
			 North Somerset 80.3 78.6 78.6 77.3 
			 Devon 74.7 74.6 78.1 77.3 
			 Tower Hamlets 68.0 75.2 76.5 77.2 
			 Manchester 69.8 74.5 78.4 77.2 
			 Cornwall 71.2 71.5 76.8 77.1 
			 Southampton 77.7 78.8 78.5 77.1 
			 Wolverhampton 76.9 76.7 78.4 76.9 
			 Wiltshire 78.1 78.0 76.7 76.9 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 76.7 77.9 76.5 76.9 
			 Knowsley 71.1 72.5 75.5 76.7 
			 Wirral 75.4 76.8 78.1 76.6 
			 Camden 72.1 74.2 77.2 76.4 
			 Slough 72.0 73.2 74.4 76.3 
			 Oxfordshire 76.2 76.8 75.1 76.3 
			 Sheffield 73.9 75.5 75.8 76.3 
			 Haringey 69.8 73.6 76.3 76.1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 72.3 78.0 76.5 75.7 
			 Rochdale 71.0 71.3 74.0 75.6 
			 Croydon 75.5 76.6 76.0 75.5 
			 Greenwich 72.3 74.7 75.2 75.4 
			 Bracknell Forest 73.8 74.5 74.4 75.3 
			 Bexley 74.1 75.4 76.7 75.2 
			 Southwark 69.1 75.3 75.1 75.0 
			 Herefordshire 73.5 75.5 74.7 75.0 
			 Bromley 76.4 77.3 76.6 74.3 
			 Brent 77.2 76.2 75.8 73.8 
			 Buckinghamshire 73.2 73.2 73.5 73.6 
			 Reading 72.4 75.0 74.2 73.3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 72.3 74.6 74.7 72.8 
			 City of London 79.2 81.0 84.0 72.6 
			 Lewisham 72.5 72.7 73.5 72.5 
			 Isles of Scilly 71.9 72.9 76.0 72.0 
			 Newham 63.2 68.4 71.5 71.6 
			 Islington 67.3 66.7 69.3 69.1 
			 Lambeth 69.3 68.6 68.9 68.2 
			 Hackney 63.1 68.0 67.8 67.5 
			 England 77.2 78.4 79.2 79.3 
		
	
	Notes
	Schools delegated budgets comprise the Individual Schools' Budget excluding the School Standards Grant (which does not form part of the SSA) as taken from LEAs Section 52 budget statements returned to the DfES each year.
	Education SSA figures are as per settlement rounds for each year.

LearnDirect Plus

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people have enrolled on LearnDirect plus in the Portsmouth, South constituency since it began; how many courses are provided in Portsmouth, South; how much funding has been provided for these courses; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: 5,010 people have enrolled on a LearnDirect course in the Portsmouth, South constituency since the initiative was rolled out in October 2000. Learners in Portsmouth, South can choose from the current LearnDirect portfolio of 647 courses, which can be accessed at a LearnDirect centre or at home, at work or other locations. We are unable to provide information on the amount of funding provided for courses in the Portsmouth, South constituency.

Apprenticeships

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) modern apprenticeship and (b) advanced modern apprenticeship starts there were in the Portsmouth, South constituency in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The numbers of advanced modern apprenticeships and foundation modern apprenticeships, started by people recorded as living in the Portsmouth, South constituency, in each of the last three years, are as follows.
	
		
			   Advanced modern apprenticeships Foundation modern apprenticeships 
		
		
			 1999–00 107 111 
			 2000–01 114 169 
			 2001–02(19) 61 148 
		
	
	(19) Figures for 1999–00 and 2000–01 include transfers onto AMA and FMA from other Work-Based Learning. Figures for 2001–02 do not include these transfers.

Work Experience

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her plans are for providing further work experience for teenagers of school age.

David Miliband: Over 95 per cent. of school pupils already undertake work experience placements in their last years of compulsory schooling to help develop the skills and attitudes essential for the world of work. The Department provides £10 million a year towards the costs of this programme, and evaluations suggest that the placements are generally satisfactory and well-received by schools, pupils and employers. We will also fund a £38 million programme over 2002–2004 to expand vocational opportunities at Key Stage 4. This includes support for over 30,000 pupils on part-time vocational courses in colleges that will often involve direct experience of the world of work.
	The Green Paper "14–19: extending opportunities, raising standards", published in February, proposes that all young people should undertake some work-related learning. Plans to develop and enhance existing arrangements for work experience will depend upon decisions yet to be taken on these proposals.

St. Benedict's Catholic High School

Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to announce a decision on the application of St. Benedict's Catholic High School, Whitehaven for engineering college status; and if she will make a statement.

David Miliband: We plan to announce the names of the schools, following the March competition, which have been successful in meeting the criteria for Specialist School designation, on Thursday 4 July. This will include the first designations under the new specialisms, which include Engineering Colleges.

Welsh A-level

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ensure that UK universities in receipt of state funding accept Welsh A-level as a valid qualification for entry.

Margaret Hodge: Higher education institutions throughout the UK are autonomous institutions. Therefore the acceptance or non-acceptance of A-level Welsh as an appropriate entry qualification would be a decision for each individual higher education institution to take in the light of the course which the applicant wished to pursue, and the applicant's other qualifications. I am not aware of any institutions with a blanket policy of not accepting A-level Welsh.

School Visits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the schools visited by senior officials in her Department, broken down by (a) local education authority and (b) dates, since 1997; and how many schools have been visited by officials in her Department each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: Detailed information on school visits by senior officials and other staff in the Department is not available, but many such visits are undertaken each year. All staff in the Department are encouraged to visit schools and experience for themselves the impact our policies have and to take back the views of teachers, governors and parents. We are currently running, in conjunction with the Secondary Heads Association, a special programme which over the next year will involve all middle managers in Schools Directorate spending three days immersed in the life of a secondary school.

School Visits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the schools visited by Ministers in her Department, broken down by (a) local education authority, (b) dates and (c) Ministers, since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The information in the form requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Leonardo Da Vinci Programme

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the reason for the delay in the payment of Leonardo da Vinci monthly programme grants by the UK Leonardo Unit.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 June 2002
	The Agencies which administer the Leonardo da Vinci programme in the UK on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills have not been able to enter into formal contracts for 2002 projects because of delays in agreeing contracts with and receiving funding from the European Commission. I understand that funding should be available soon and I hope that this will enable contracts to be agreed and payments made for specific projects shortly afterwards.

National Insurance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will calculate in percentage terms the increase in costs to local education authorities and schools of the introduction of the new rates of employers national insurance.

Estelle Morris: The additional cost in employers' national insurance contributions in 2003–04 for English local education authorities and schools represents 0.5 per cent. of total planned spending in that year. I refer the hon. Member to the reply to the Question from the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady), 24 April 2002, Official Report, column 311W.

Investors in People

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to announce the result of the quinquennial review of Investors in People UK.

Ivan Lewis: The first stage of the quinquennial review of Investors in People UK has been completed. A report has been published today, outlining the findings of the review and the recommendations that have been made as a result. The report is available in the Library. It can also be seen on the DfES website: "www.dfes.gov.uk/ consultations".

Carlton House Terrace

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is given to organisations to meet the cost of property in Carlton House Terrace.

Margaret Hodge: The only organisation occupying premises in Carlton House Terrace that is funded by this Department is the British Academy. The British Academy's Grant-in-Aid for 2002–03 is £13 million, including administrative and premises costs.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on how each CPS region is improving its own performance management.

Harriet Harman: The devolved 42 area structure of the CPS empowers Chief Crown Prosecutors and their area business managers to develop their own approach to performance management, both internally within the organisation and in partnership with their local criminal justice partners. All areas have an annual business plan and conduct a follow-up review of their performance against those plans. To maintain consistent standards, and in order to compare and contrast performance across the service nationally, all areas report performance across a range of indicators within a national framework that supports the business planning process.
	In addition, area performance is reviewed independently by the CPS inspectorate.

Acquittals

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General what analysis she has undertaken to determine the reasons for (a) judge-ordered and (b) judge-directed acquittals.

Harriet Harman: I regularly receive reports from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who maintain a record of the number of cases resulting in a judge-ordered or directed acquittal and capture a broad analysis of the reasons underlying the failure of the case.
	The figures shown in the table contain an analysis for the year ending March 2002. The figures in column one represent the number of defendants whose case resulted in a judge-ordered or judge-directed acquittal together with the reasons for the outcome. The figures in column two express these as a percentage of completed Crown Court cases (not including cases dealt with under its appellate jurisdiction).
	In the year 2001–02 a judges-ordered or directed acquittal in 13,306 cases, representing 15.8 per cent. of the total. Of these, the largest figure (4,515 cases) represents cases where a judge ordered acquittal because a prosecution witness was missing, or refused to give evidence, where a complaint was withdrawn, or where a witness was unable to give evidence. This category accounts for 5.4 per cent. of the total number of cases and 33.9 per cent. of the total number of judge-ordered and directed acquittals.
	A further 3,078 (3.6 per cent. of the total) resulted in a judge-ordered acquittal because of doubts over the admissibility, reliability or strength of evidence (other than identification evidence).
	A more detailed list of reasons for these outcomes will be available following the introduction of the CPS Compass Case Management System due to roll-out between April and December 2003.
	
		Reasons for judge-ordered and judge-directed acquittals 2001–02
		
			  Number of defendants(20) Percentage of completed cases(21) 
		
		
			 Judge-ordered acquittals   
			 Witness missing/refuses or unable to give evidence/complaint withdrawn 4,515 5.4 
			 Defendant medical problems 257 0.3 
			 Other indictments or sentences 1,072 1.8 
			 Doubts identification evidence 966 1.1 
			 Other evidence inadmissible/unreliable/conflicting 3,078 3.6 
			 Legal element missing from prosecution case 771 0.9 
			 Long delay or abuse of process 565 0.7 
			 Adjournment refused/P11 application refused 600 0.7 
			 Total 11,824 14.0 
			
			 Judge-directed acquittals   
			 Identification evidence unreliable 271 0.3 
			 Legal element missing from prosecution case 243 0.3 
			 Doubts over other evidence 460 0.5 
			 Confession or other evidence ruled inadmissible 38 0.0 
			 Other reason 470 0.6 
			 Total 1,482 1.8 
		
	
	(20) This column shows the number of defendants whose case resulted in judge-ordered and directed acquittal.
	(21) This column expresses these figures as a percentage of completed Crown Court cases, excluding appeals and committals for sentence.

DEFENCE

Helicopter Equipment

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to install an integrated cockpit voice and flight data recorder with a health and usage monitoring system into (a) Sea King Mk 3, (b) Sea King Mk 3A, (c) Lynx and (d) Puma aircraft; at what stage these plans are; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We are examining how we can derive the maximum benefit for these in-service helicopters from integrated cockpit voice and flight data recorders, and the health and usage monitoring system. Final decisions have yet to be taken as to which helicopter types will be fitted with this equipment, and to what timescale.

Housing

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military service properties in the United Kingdom are waiting to be sold.

Lewis Moonie: If "military service properties" refers to housing, most of the family quarters estate in England and Wales was sold to Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in November 1996. The sale to AHL did not cover Scotland. The Defence Housing Executive (DHE) leases back from AHL the properties it needs to house service families. Under the sale agreement, DHE must hand back 13,213 properties to AHL over the first 25 years (i.e. to 2021). In financial year 2001–02, 2,305 properties were released to AHL and a further 220 family quarters still owned by my Department were passed to Defence Estates (DE) for disposal.
	To date in 2002, 1,884 leased properties in England and Wales have been handed back to AHL. On 31 March 2002 DE were actively preparing in excess of 600 houses for sale.
	More generally, the number of sites (other than housing) in disposal changes from day to day as some are sold and others come forward for disposal.

Land Sales

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list land within the Defence Estates portfolio that (a) is being offered for sale and (b) will be offered in the next 12 months, giving its (i) location and (ii) size.

Lewis Moonie: The information requested for the Ministry of Defence is as follows.
	
		
			  Site  Location Area hectares (ha)  
		
		
			 Former range, Asfordby Training Area Leicestershire 16 — 
			 Former Officers Mess site RAF Watton Norfolk 11.3 — 
			 Seinefeine Land Gt. Cressingham Norfolk 4.004 To be acquired by highways agency for road improvements 
			 Part of RAF Syerston Gliding Sch Nottinghamshire 17.6 — 
			 Tuddenham land Suffolk 0.050 Two sites 0.025 hectares each 
			 Cemetery Land at Waterbeach Cambridgeshire 0.606 To be acquired by local parish for the extension of the cemetery 
			 Sports pitch, Bordon Hampshire 1.254 Sports pitch only. Also selling St. Lucia Lodge 
			 INF Greenham Common — 29.88 Council has pre-emptive right 
			 Land at Aborfield Berkshire 29.88 — 
			 4 building plots at Hermitage Berkshire 0.023 — 
			 RAF Edelsborough Buckinghamshire 72 Former owner has expressed interest 
			 Woodvale Training area Merseyside 33 — 
			 Oil Fuel Depot Sully Vale of Glamorgan 0.10 — 
			 Arras Lines Catterick 6 —(22) 
			 Ralston Ranges — 28.40 —(22) 
			 Forest Moor Farm Land North Yorkshire 33.10 Two sites 
			 Forest Moor Farm Land North Yorkshire 87 Three sites(22) 
			 Morfa Camp, Tywn Gwynedd 40 — 
			 Wellbank Camp and Bungalow Cumbria 4.40 — 
			 Saighton Camp Cheshire 48.58 — 
			 RNAD Broughton Moor Cumbria 433.61 — 
			 Smalmstown Farm, Longtown Cumbria 101 — 
			 RAF Boulmer Old Admin Site Northumberland 4.04 —(22) 
			 RE Depot, Long Martson Warwickshire 0.287 —(22) 
			 RAF Burtonwood Cheshire 92.30 —(22) 
			 Deysbrook Barracks Liverpool 42.72 —(22) 
			 RAF Church Fenton and Olla Grange North Yorkshire 18.5 —(22) 
			 RAF Shawbury site D Shropshire 6.04 —(22) 
			 RAF Shawbury site E Shropshire 8.166 —(22) 
			 Hayston Farm, Castlemartin Monmouthsire 627.59 Five sites 
			 Hayston Farm, Castlemartin Monmouthsire 172.57 Eight sites(22) 
			 Halton Catterick Not finalised —(22) 
			 Scotton Buildings Catterick 0.10 — 
			 Rolstone Range Catterick 41 — 
			 Hythe — 0.065 — 
			 Piling Camp and Range — 42.8 — 
			 Beith Agricultural Land Ayrshire 37.182 — 
			 Crombie Former Putting Green Dunfermline Fife 0.05 — 
			 Inverness—Dev site Inverness 0.01 — 
			 Crawfordsburn Co. Down 1.064 — 
			 DIVIS Mountain, Belfast Co. Antrim 598.9 — 
			 Dobbin Hill Co. Armagh 1.057 — 
			 St. Lucia Omagh 1.344 — 
			 Paddock, Corsham Wiltshire 3.3 — 
			 Elmdene, Durrington Wiltshire 0.09 — 
			 TAC Devizes Wiltshire 3 —(22) 
			 Marchwood Development Plots Hampshire 88.01 —(22) 
			 Coleridge Training Area Devon 1.935 —(22) 
			 Coleridge Training Area Devon 5.907 —(22) 
			 Coleridge Training Area Devon 12.364 —(22) 
			 5 Langton Park Wiltshire 0.98 — 
			 TA Newbury Berkshire 0.17 — 
			 Dean Hill Land Hampshire 232.19 — 
			 TAC Bridgewater Somerset 0.5 Land and buildings 
			 HMS Mercury Hampshire 7.09 — 
			 Land at Wyvern Barracks, Exeter Devon 4.265 — 
			 OFD Turnchapel Devon 2.74 — 
			 Frater House Hampshire 0.66 —(22) 
			 Portsdown Main Devon 18.15 — 
			 TAC Millbay Devon 1.006 — 
			 Peel Circus, Corsham Wiltshire 8.69 — 
			 RNCF Holton Heath Dorset 28.81 —(22) 
			 Land adj. 57 Higher Wood, Bovington Dorset 8.04 —(22) 
			 Wainscott Camp Kent 4.61 —(22) 
			 Site A Monxton Road, Andover Hampshire 3.5 —(22) 
		
	
	(22) Indicates land likely to be offered in the next 12 months, compared to land currently being offered.
	It should be noted that these figures represent only a "snapshot" of the situation in regard to sites in disposal. Land is declared surplus and comes forward for disposal frequently, and sites are sold on a regular basis.
	The list is also restricted to land, rather than buildings and thus does not constitute the totality of MOD sites in disposal.

Armed Forces Exercises

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) date, (b) participating units, (c) timing, (d) nature of exercise and (e) total cost of exercise, were for each exercise involving British armed forces, originally planned for BATUS in Canada during this financial year; and if each exercise is still scheduled to take place.

Adam Ingram: Details of British Army training exercises that are scheduled to take place in BATUS during this financial year along with their attendant costs are shown in the table. All the BATUS exercises scheduled for this financial year are still due to take place.
	
		
			  Dates/timings  Exercise  Participating units  Timings (prairie days)  Nature of exercise Expected cost of exercise(23) (£ million) 
		
		
			 16 April 2002 to 23 May 2002 Exercise MEDMAN 1 Scots Dragoon Guards Battlegroup 23 April 2002 to 17 May 2002 (25 days) Battlegroup all arms live fire and simulation exercise 8.3 
			 23 May 2002 to 27 June 2002 Exercise MEDMAN 2 1 Black Watch 28 May 2002 to 21 June 2002 (25 days) Battlegroup all arms live fire and simulation exercises 8.3 
			 27 June 2002 to 3 August 2002 Exercise MEDMAN 3 1 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers Battlegroup 2 July 2002 to 26 July 2002 (25 days) Battlegroup all arms live fire and simulation exercises 8.3 
			 3 August 2002 to 21 October 2002 Exercise IRON ANVIL 02 19 (Mechanised) Brigade 24 August 2002 to 8 October 2002 (46 days) The Exercise consists of MEDMAN 4 and MEDMAN 5. — 
			  (Includes Exercises MEDMAN 4 and MEDMAN 5 19 Brigade Headquarters  For 2 Royal Tank Regiment and 1 Kings Battlegroup and Brigade all arms live fire and simulation exercises.  
			   2 Royal Tank Regiment  1 Kings Own Scottish Borderers join for the Brigade level exercise to allow 19 Mechanised Brigade to exercise with 3 manoeuvre Battle Groups under command.  
			   1 Kings Battlegroup
			   1 Kings Own Scottish Borderers
			   40 Regiment Royal Artillery
			   38 Engineer Regiment
			   5 Battalion Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers
			   29 Regiment Royal Logistic Corp
		
	
	(23) Costs are calculated by dividing the total BATUS resource consumption by the number of MEDICINE MAN Exercises. (Exercise IRON ANVIL equates to approximately 2 MEDICINE MAN exercises).

Medical Categories (Armed Forces)

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2002, Official Report, column 181W, how many (a) women and (b) men in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Navy and (iii) RAF are in a downgraded medical category; to which category they belong and the percentage of trained strength this represents; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 15 May 2002
	The information requested is shown in the table. My answer of 8 May 2002, Official Report, column 181W, related to certain specified Army medical downgrading categories only. My answer of 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 732W, provided a list of the medical downgrading categories used by all three services.
	
		
			 Downgraded category Male Male percentage of total strength Female Female percentage of total strength 
		
		
			  Naval personnel by downgraded medical category 
			 PO 119 0.28 14 0.03 
			 P3P 425 1.01 28 0.07 
			 P3R 219 0.52 85 0.20 
			 P3R (pregnant) nil nil 81 0.19 
			 P7 52 0.12 3 0.01 
			 P7RA 247 0.59 46 0.11 
			 P7RB 48 0.11 12 0.03 
			 P7RC 56 0.13 9 0.02 
			 P7RD 1,349 3.2 225 0.53 
			 P8 61 0.14 7 0.02 
			  
			  Regular army personnel by downgraded PULHHEEMS employment standard 
			 PO 679 0.7 109 0.11 
			 P3—LE 6,634 6.8 736 0.76 
			 P3—LT 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 P3—BE 7 0.01 2 *0.00 
			 P3—RE (PP) nil nil 364 0.38 
			 P7—HO 950 0.98 106 0.11 
			 P7—HO (UK) 158 0.16 12 0.01 
			 P7—HO (NNI) 541 0.56 35 0.04 
			 P7—HO (UK not NI) 29 0.03 3 *0.00 
			  
			  Regular RAF personnel by downgraded medical employment standard 
			 A1G1Z3 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A1G2Z3 2 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A1G3Z1 13 0.03 nil nil 
			 A1G3Z5 8 0.02 1 *0.00 
			 A1G4Z1 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A1G4Z5 nil nil 1 *0.00 
			 A2G2Z2 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A2G2Z3 5 0.01 nil nil 
			 A2G3Z1 13 0.03 1 *0.00 
			 A2G3Z5 7 0.01 nil nil 
			 A2G4Z1 2 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A2G4Z4 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A3G3Z1 46 0.09 nil nil 
			 A3G3Z3 2 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A3G3Z5 10 0.02 nil nil 
			 A3G4Z1 5 0.01 nil nil 
			 A3G4Z5 3 0.01 nil nil 
			 A4G1Z4 nil nil 1 *0.00 
			 A4G2Z2 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A4G2Z3 32 0.07 1 *0.00 
			 A4G2Z4 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A4G3Z1 471 0.97 291 0.60 
			 A4G3Z2 3 0.01 nil nil 
			 A4G3Z3 7 0.01 1 *0.00 
			 A4G3Z4 4 0.01 1 *0.00 
			 A4G3Z5 1,071 2.20 263 0.54 
			 A4G4Z1 264 0.54 40 0.08 
			 A4G4Z2 4 0.01 2 *0.00 
			 A4G4Z3 2 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A4G4Z4 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A4G4Z5 1,036 2.13 155 0.32 
			 A4G5Z0 128 0.26 23 0.05 
			 A5G1Z5 1 *0.00 nil nil 
			 A5G3Z1 1 *0.00 1 *0.00 
			 A5G3Z5 6 0.01 2 *0.00 
			 A5G4Z5 4 0.01 1 *0.00 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are as at 1 May 2002.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest two decimal places. Those marked with an asterisk are 0.004 per cent. or less.
	3. Army and RAF figures show medically downgraded trained personnel as a percentage of trained strength.
	4. Naval figures show totally medically downgraded personnel, including new entry trainees, as a percentage of total strength as the Royal Navy is unable to provide separate figures for medically downgraded trained personnel only.
	5. The Army PO category normally relates to personnel undergoing hospital treatment or on hospital sick leave, but may also include personnel for whom no PULHHEEMS employment standard is recorded on the personnel computer.

Army (Recruitment)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications to join the Army in each year since 1998 were rejected with no reason given to the applicant; and in what circumstances the Department refuses to give reasons for rejection of applicants.

Adam Ingram: No applications to join the Army are refused without a reason being given to the applicant. However, in common with other Government Departments, it is the Ministry of Defence's policy to maintain the freedom to accept, or reject, any person for employment without giving a detailed explanation.

Wind Farms (Scotland)

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those applications for wind farms in Scotland since January 2000 that his Department have (a) objected to and (b) not objected to.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member with a list of all wind farm proposals for Scotland received during the time specified and I will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	The Ministry of Defence has received a total of 182 wind energy proposals in Scotland since 1 January 2000, of which 112 received no objection and 70 were objected to. The objections were for varying reasons of interference to low flying, radar or microwave links.

Meteor BVRAAM Missile Programme

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected contract schedule for the Meteor BVRAAM missile programme is; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: A draft contract for the development and production of the Meteor (BVRAAM) missile was sent to our partner nations at the end of April. A number of amendments have now been incorporated into a final version, which was passed to our partners earlier this month. We very much hope that all partner nations will confirm within the next few weeks that they are content for the contract to be signed and that Germany will also sign the Meteor Memorandum of Understanding (already signed by the other five nations). Our aim remains to award the contract to MBDA in July.

Chinook Helicopter

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision was taken by his Department not to provide a full response to letters received on the subject of the fatal accident to Chinook ZD576.

Adam Ingram: No such decision has been taken.

Chinook Helicopter

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to whom the reasons for the two suspensions of RAF Chinook HC2 flight trials at Boscombe Down in 1994 were communicated at the time.

Adam Ingram: The distribution of the aircraft and armament evaluation establishment, Boscombe Down's internal minutes communicating the reasons for the temporary suspension of flight trials included the Procurement Executive, the RAF Air Operations Branch and the Director of Flying, and our Liaison Officer in Philadelphia.

Annual Leave

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in his Department in 2002.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 314W. There have been no subsequent changes to Ministry of Defence leave entitlements.

Bell 412 Helicopter

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2002, Official Report, column 957W, on 84 Squadron, if the Bell 412 Enhanced Performance helicopter will be manned by RAF crews.

Adam Ingram: Under current plans the Bell 412 helicopters will be part of an RAF unit and manned primarily by RAF crews.

Invincible Class Ships

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Invincible class ships are able to embark Harrier GR7 when the vessel is undertaking its LPH role.

Adam Ingram: Invincible class ships can embark GR7 in the LPH role but would not usually be tasked to do so. In the LPH role the Carrier Air Group will consist of the helicopters required to lift a full Commando Group and would therefore be severely constrained for space in which to embark fixed wing aircraft at the same time.

Defence Logistics Organisation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by how much the Defence Logistics Organisation overspent its original budget estimate in the last financial year; and how this deficit was funded.

Adam Ingram: The estimates provision at the start of the 2001–02 financial year for the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) was made up of £3,412 million for current and £612 million for capital expenditure. As I explained in my replies of 26 October 2001, Official Report, columns 405–06W and 31 October 2001, Official Report, columns 659–60W, in the normal course of business there are adjustments to these limits as the year unfolds which were reflected in the spring supplementary estimates. The revised estimates for the DLO were £4,442 million for current and £1,105 million for capital expenditure. The DLO resource accounts are still being finalised but currently show the DLO has contained its expenditure within these revised limits.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the duration is of the contract of the head of the Defence Export Services Organisation; and what his annual salary is in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03.

Lewis Moonie: The post of the Head of Defence Export Services (HDES) has been recently advertised as a 3-year contract, with the possibility of extension. The post is also offered as a secondment for the same duration.
	A summary of the employment terms and conditions of the former HDES was submitted as written evidence to the March 1999 House of Commons Defence Committee Report on "The Appointment of the New Head of Defence Export Services". This indicates that the HDES salary for 2001–02 would fall within the Permanent Secretary pay band (£104,292-£179,022). The defence industries council then pays an additional element that would bring the salary to the level, which the individual would otherwise receive, in industry.
	The HDES salary for 2002–03 will not be known until the current recruitment process has been completed (although the advertisement refers to an "attractive £ six figure package").

Defence Export Services Organisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the overseas offices of the Defence Export Services Organisation are situated; when each office was established; how many staff are employed; and what the cost for 2001–02 and 2002–03 is for each.

Lewis Moonie: Details of overseas offices of the Defence Export Services Organisation are as follows:
	
		
			 Country Date established Number of staff Budget 2001–02 (£000) 
		
		
			 Australia 1989 2 144.3 
			 Brunei 1995 2 93.4 
			 Germany 1991 4 153.7 
			 Greece 2000 1 50.1 
			 India(24) 1984 2 145.4 
			 Kuwait(25) 1989 9 213.8 
			 Malaysia 1986 4.5 169.8 
			 Qatar 1998 2 85.1 
			 Saudi Arabia(26) 1985 59 0 
			 Singapore 2001 2 131.7 
			 South Africa 2000 2 79.8 
			 South Korea 1988 2 63.1 
			 Turkey 1988 1 91.3 
			 UAE 1999 1 88.1 
		
	
	(24) Staff currently withdrawn
	(25) Four staff are employed by the Kuwait Programme Office and are funded by the customer government.
	(26) 59 staff are employed on the Al-Yamamah programme and are funded by the customer government.
	Note:
	Figures for financial year 2002–03 have not been set.
	In addition there are staff in the British embassies in Berlin, Paris and Washington DC who are responsible for a range of defence equipment issues, including defence exports.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed within the Defence Export Services Organisation broken down by job title; and how many of the staff are employed in London.

Lewis Moonie: There are currently 610 staff employed within the Ministry of Defence, Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), with 402 personnel employed in London.
	A breakdown of the figures is as follows:
	
		
			 DESO business area Number of staff 
		
		
			 Marketing support 136 
			 Military support, exhibitions, protocol and training 114 
			 Export control, policy and finance/personnel 47 
			 Project management (27)226 
			 Disposal services 87 
			  
			 Total (28)610 
		
	
	(27) Project office staff are paid for by the customer
	(28) Full-time equivalent staff

Defence Export Services Organisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the budget for the (a) Defence Export Services Organisation and (b) the Infantry Export Support Team in (i) the past two years, (ii) the current year and (iii) future years for which estimates are available.

Lewis Moonie: The budgets for DESO (Defence Export Services Organisation) and the export Support Teams is presented in the table.
	
		£ million 
		
			  DESO Export Support Teams 
		
		
			 2000–01 12.412 (29)1.920 
			 2001–02 12.348 0.288 
			 2002–03 14.251 0.366 
		
	
	(29) Figures for Infantry Support Team for 2000–01 cannot be separated from the overall figure for the Export Support Teams.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of staff of the Defence Export Services Organisation are seconded from industry; and what functions they perform.

Lewis Moonie: There are currently no industry secondees working within the Defence Export Services Organisation.

Aircraft Carriers

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many days of operational capability per annum were achieved by aircraft carriers in each of the last five years; and how many days operational capability was specified for the two new carriers.

Adam Ingram: The number of days of operational capability per annum achieved by the Royal Navy's Invincible-class aircraft carriers during the past five years was as follows:
	
		
			  Days 
		
		
			 1997 577 
			 1998 494 
			 1999 426 
			 2000 527 
			 2001 502 
		
	
	Operational requirements for the future carriers are still being developed. However, it is intended that at least one of the planned fleet of two ships will be operationally available at all times and ship availability will be comparable to that achieved for the existing three Invincible class carriers.

HMS Talent

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings will accrue from the withdrawal from operational service of HMS Talent ahead of her refit; and for what reasons HMS Talent has been laid up until her refit commences.

Adam Ingram: HMS Talent reached her maximum permissible commission length in mid-June and has been laid-up prior to entering a long overhaul period in Devonport dockyard in spring 2003. The delay in starting the overhaul results from a need to profile the work load of Devonport dockyard efficiently, to deconflict with the refit of HMS Vanguard, and to balance available funds with more high priority competing demands. Few, if any, savings will accrue. The Royal Navy manpower released will be deployed elsewhere. Minor savings that might be realised from reduced operating costs will be offset by charges for essential services during the lay-up period.

Tanks

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effects the implementation of whole fleet management will have on (a) the number of tanks in the British Army and (b) their state of readiness.

Adam Ingram: The implementation of whole fleet management will have no effect on the number of tanks in the British Army. Operational analysis suggests that it should lead to an improvement in operational readiness.

Defence Attachés

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at how many British embassies defence attachés were stationed in each financial year since 1999–2000.

Lewis Moonie: The number of British embassies at which attachés were stationed in each financial year since 1999–2000 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 (30)71 
			 2000–01 74 
			 2001–02 (31)76 
			 2002–03 81 
		
	
	(30) Increasing to 75 by October 2000 as a result of the attaché review
	(31) Increasing to 80 by October 2001 as a result of the attaché review

Defence Attachés

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the functions of defence attachés, stating the percentage of time devoted to each function.

Lewis Moonie: As a result of the Strategic Defence Review, defence attachés and advisers have six core functions. The percentage of time devoted to each function is estimated as:
	Support to defence diplomacy: 33 per cent.
	Provision of operational military advice: 26 per cent.
	Provision of politico-military advice: 7 per cent.
	Support to Defence Intelligence: 5 per cent.
	Support to Defence Exports: 11 per cent.
	Representation and administrative support: 18 per cent.

Defence Attachés

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attachés were employed by his Department in each financial year since 1999–2000.

Lewis Moonie: The number of defence attachés that were employed by the Ministry of Defence in each financial year since 1999–2000 is as follows.
	
		
			 Financial year Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 118 
			 2000–01 124 
			 2001–02 126 
			 2002–03 127

Ministerial Visits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) overseas visits by Ministers in his Department and (b) visits to ministers in the United Kingdom by overseas Government Ministers and officials have taken place in each of the last three years in which United Kingdom arms sales were discussed.

Lewis Moonie: Defence Ministers regularly meet with their overseas counterparts and with other senior officials to discuss a range of defence matters, including defence export opportunities. Details of such discussions are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Defence Exhibitions

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what costs were incurred by his Department in providing military land and personnel support to defence exhibitions in each financial year since 1999–2000.

Lewis Moonie: Assistance to exhibitions is provided from a wide range of departmental sources which contribute to a greater and lesser degree according to their responsibilities. The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Project Aquatrine

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of Project Aquatrine.

Lewis Moonie: Project Aquatrine will transfer the responsibility for the maintenance and operation of all the Ministry of Defence's water and wastewater assets and infrastructure in Great Britain to private sector providers.
	There are three contracts for water and wastewater service provision. An initiation to negotiate for the first contract covering South West England and Wales was issued on 16 July 2001 and it is anticipated that a preferred bidder will be selected by the end of 2002.
	Invitations to negotiate for the remaining two contracts covering Scotland and the North and East of England, to be issued to six bidders, on 3 July for the North and East of England contract and 10 July 2002 for the Scottish contract.
	The consortia invited to negotiate for the Scotland contract are:
	Brey Utilities;
	Nevis Water—comprising Thames Water plc and Scottish Water; and
	United Utilities/Morgan Est/Babtie Consortium.
	The consortia invited to negotiate for the North and East of England:
	Brey Utilities—comprising Yorkshire Water Services Limited, Earth Tech Engineering Limited, Halliburton Brown and Root Limited;
	Diamond Alliance Ltd;
	Thames Water plc; and
	United Utilities/Morgan Est/Babtie Consortium.
	It is anticipated that the preferred bidder for the Scottish and North and East England contracts will be announced in July 2003, with the contract expected to be awarded in October 2003, with go-live in April 2004.

Colchester Garrison

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about (a) the original projected cost and (b) the current estimated cost of the building of the new Colchester Garrison.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is commercial in confidence, and, at this stage, is being withheld under Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the savings to the RAF would be if all subcontracted hours for initial training of pilots were transferred from the University Air Squadrons to private sector trainers.

Adam Ingram: The University Air Squadrons already have significant private sector involvement with a contractor providing flying hours and support services. Significant savings arose from this contract and they will be quantified by the post project evaluation, which is due to be undertaken later this year. University Air Squadron instructors are RAF officers. We view it as an important element of training that trainee pilots have the benefit of a military environment and contact with military personnel.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots trained by (a) the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton and (b) University Air Squadrons have subsequently (i) joined the RAF and (ii) chosen not to do so in each of the past five years.

Adam Ingram: All of the pilots trained by the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at Church Fenton are already members of the RAF.
	In the case of the University Air Squadrons, the numbers are not immediately available and I will write to the hon. Member when the information has been gathered and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flying hours the 15 University Air Squadrons were contracted to provide to the RAF during each of the years of their existing contract; and how many hours were delivered in each of these years.

Adam Ingram: Flying hours, using the Tutor aircraft, are provided to the University Air Squadrons as part of the light aircraft flying task contract. Although this contract was let in April 1999, it was phased in with the last aircraft delivered in September 2001. Consequently, there is not yet a history of delivery of flying hours against the contract. The contract also provides flying hours to the Air Cadet Air Experience Flights and the Central Flying School at RAF Cranwell, to train instructions and also to conduct elementary navigator training. The contract provides 30,500 hours with an option to fly up to 50,000 hours. The additional hours are paid for only if used. In the year ending March 2002 just under 40,000 hours were flown.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to renew the contract of the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton.

Adam Ingram: The contract with Babcock HCS to provide Firefly aircraft and instructors for the Joint Elementary Flying Training School, which operates at RAF Barkston Heath, RAF Cranwell, RAF Church Fenton and the School of Army Aviation at Middle Wallop, ends on 7 July 2003. The cost effective means of meeting the Joint Elementary Flying Training School's requirement after this will be to absorb the RAF element of the task, which is undertaken at Church Fenton, into the University Air Squadrons, where the majority of RAF pilots are already trained. The balance of the task has been the subject of a competition and a contract will be let shortly.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton provided the contracted hours per year to the RAF during the existing contract.

Adam Ingram: Yes.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the criteria used by his Department to evaluate the success of the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton to train RAF pilots in the elementary stage of their flying career; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Success is judged by the output of students on time, to the required standard, and with a failure rate of less than 15 per cent. The School at Church Fenton has met these criteria.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the proposed saving to the RAF is if the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton's contract for flying hours is returned to the university air squadrons.

Adam Ingram: Significant annual savings are anticipated.

RAF Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are used by the Department to evaluate the success of the 15 university air squadrons in training RAF pilots in the elementary stage of their flying careers; and whether comparative evaluation has been made with the Joint Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Church Fenton.

Adam Ingram: Elementary flying training for members of University Air Squadrons is undertaken to a defined syllabus and output standard. A direct comparison of University Air Squadron trained and Joint Elementary Flying Training School trained RAF pilots is seen at the point of streaming to aircraft type (fast jet, rotary wing, or multi-engine), which follows immediately after elementary flying training. At this point, there is no discernible difference between them. Historically, a comparison of success rates through to the more difficult fast-jet front line has shown a small advantage for University Air Squadron trained students.

Afghanistan

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if serial numbers have been systematically logged in respect of the weapons found in Afghanistan since coalition military operations began against suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda forces earlier this year.

Geoff Hoon: The Royal Marines deployed in Afghanistan have discovered a number of significant weapons caches. Those weapons that have not been destroyed have been handed over to the Afghan authorities. There has been no routine logging of serial numbers.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Madagascar

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Madagascar.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The Organisation of African Unity and President Wade of Senegal continue with their mediation efforts. The UK, along with EU partners and others in the donor community continues to encourage the two parties to find a solution through dialogue. The US has recently recognised Mark Ravalomanana as President of Madagascar.

European Parliamentary Investigations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protocols exist on the operation of European parliamentary investigations being conducted within the United Kingdom.

Peter Hain: holding answer 27 June 2002
	There is no protocol which governs the operations of European parliamentary investigations. Temporary committees of the European Parliament are set up under its rules of procedure. A Decision of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission sets out the detailed provisions governing the European Parliament's right of inquiry and the setting up of temporary committees of inquiry.

European Parliamentary Investigations

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the power members of the European Parliament have to summon witnesses for inquiries that they are conducting within the United Kingdom.

Peter Hain: holding answer 27 June. 2002
	Article 193 of the treaty on European Union provides for the setting up of temporary committees of inquiry.
	Under the Decision of the European Parliament, Council, and the Commission on the exercise of the European Parliament's right of inquiry, temporary committees of inquiry may request member states to designate an "official or servant whom they authorise to appear before the temporary committee of inquiry, unless grounds of secrecy or public or national security dictate otherwise by virtue of national or Community legislation". This is without prejudice to any other provisions of the member states which prohibit officials from appearing.
	The European Parliament may set up temporary committees under their own rules of procedure. Such committees can request witnesses and experts to make a statement or provide testimony. There is no obligation on those individuals to respond to that invitation.

Gibraltar

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the arrangements made with Spain in respect of Gibraltar Airport to unblock the progress of EC aviation measures.

Peter Hain: We have agreed a procedure with Spain and the Commission allowing aviation measures to be unblocked, without prejudicing any party's position on sovereignty, or affecting day to day operations at Gibraltar airport. When such a measure is brought forward, the Commission will judge whether or not it places obligations on airports. If so, the Council and Commission will agree to the insertion of the clauses suspending application until the implementation of the 1987 Joint Declaration of the UK and Spain on Gibraltar airport, which have featured in previous measures. If not, the text will not be amended. The Transport Council agreed Common Positions on the first measures subject to this arrangement, relating to occurrence reporting and aviation statistics, on 17 June.
	We are confident that suspension will have no material impact on the operation of Gibraltar airport. We will continue to work with the Government of Gibraltar and the authorities at Gibraltar airport to ensure that, wherever necessary, equivalent measures are implemented on a national basis.
	The Government believes that this is the best way forward until a long-term solution is found. We have always made clear that we want Gibraltar to enjoy the full benefits of EC aviation measures, as is its right. But, since the 11 September atrocities in particular, it is essential for British and other European air travellers, and the companies concerned, that EC measures to improve the functioning of the aviation sector, and especially to enhance aviation security, are taken forward quickly and effectively. It would be intolerable if all air travellers were denied the benefit of such measures because of delay caused by disagreement between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar and the refusal of the Government of Gibraltar to join discussions to resolve such problems under the Brussels process.

EU Events

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for July and (b) major European Union events for the period between 1 August and December.

Peter Hain: July
	4—Copenhagen—EU—Ukraine
	8—Tokyo—EU—Japan
	11–12—Brussels—plenary session of the convention on the future of Europe
	12–13—Kolding—meeting of employment and social policy Ministers (Ministerial Informal)
	15–16—Brussels—agriculture council
	19—Brussels—Budget meeting
	19–21—Arhus—meeting of environment Ministers (Ministerial Informal)
	11–12—Brussels—general affairs council
	30–31—Brunei—ASEAN regional forum (Ministerial)
	30–01—Brunei—EU—South Korea (Ministerial Troika)
	30–31—Brunei—EU—North Korea (Ministerial Troika).
	The following are the principle events in the EU between 1 August and December 2002. The list is based on the information available at the date of issue.
	
		
			 Date Venue Event 
		
		
			 August   
			 1–2 Brunei ASEAN post-Ministerial Conference (Troika) 
			 27–29 Illulissat Meeting of the Northern Dimension (Ministerial) 
			 31–1 Elisnore Gymnich (Ministerial Informal) 
			
			 September   
			 6 Brussels ASEM Economic Ministers Meeting 
			 6–8 Copenhagen ECOFIN (Ministerial Informal) 
			 8–10 Nyborg Agriculture Council (Ministerial Informal) 
			 12–13 Brussels Plenary Session of the Convention on the Future of Europe 
			 12–13 Copenhagen Justice and Home Affairs Council (Ministerial Informal) 
			 22–24 Copenhagen ASEM Meeting 
			 23–24 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 24 Copenhagen EU—China 
			 24 Cophenhagen EU—South Korea 
			 26 Brussels Internal Market, Consumer Affairs and Tourism Council 
			 27 Tent ACP—EU Ministers Meeting 
			 30 Brussels Research Council 
			 30–1 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			
			 October   
			 3–4 Brussels Plenary Session of the Convention on the Future of Europe 
			 3–4 Brussels Transport and Telecommunications Council 
			 7–8 Copenhagen EU—Canada (Ministerial) 
			 8 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 8 Brussels Employment and Social Policy Council 
			 10 Copenhagen EU—India 
			 14 Brussels Justice and Home Affairs, and Civil Protection Council 
			 15–16 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 17 Brussels Environment Council 
			 18–19 Aalborg Internal Market, Consumer Affairs and Industry Meeting (Ministerial Informal) 
			 21–22 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 24–25 Brussels European Council 
			 28–29 Brussels Plenary Session of the Convention on the Future of Europe 
			
			 November   
			 1 Brussels Culture Council 
			 2 Brussels ECOFIN—Troika meeting on Macro—Economic Dialogue 
			 7–8 Copenhagen EU—SADC (Ministerial) 
			 7–8 Brussels Plenary Session of the Convention on the Future of Europe 
			 11 Copenhagen EU—Russia 
			 12 Brussels Education and Youth Council 
			 14–15 Brussels Internal Market, Consumer Affairs and Youth Council 
			 18 Brussels Fisheries Council 
			 18–19 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 19–20 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 22 Brussels Development Council 
			 25–26 Brussels Budget (Council) 
			 25–26 Brussels Industry and Energy Council 
			 28 Ouagadougou EU—Africa 
			 28 Ouagadougou EU—ECOWAS (Ministerial Troika) 
			 28–29 Brussels Justice and Home Affairs, and Civil Protection Council 
			
			 December   
			 2–3 Brussels ECOFIN 
			 3 Brussels Employment and Social Policy Council 
			 5–6 Brussels Plenary Session of the Convention on the Future of Europe 
			 5–6 Brussels Transport and Telecommunications Council 
			 9–10 Brussels General Affairs Council 
			 9–10 Brussels Environment Council 
			 12–13 Copenhagen European Council 
			 16 Copenhagen/Washington EU—US (Ministerial) 
			 16–17 Brussels Fisheries Council 
			 18–19 Brussels Agriculture Council 
			 19–20 Ottawa EU—Canada 
			 20–21 Brussels Plenary Session of the Convention on the Future of Europe

Visas

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on UK visa fees.

Mike O'Brien: On 26 June, the Privy Council made the Consular Fees Order 2002, which sets out the new fees for UK visas with effect from 1 July.
	Members of the House will recall that on 17 June the House approved the draft section 102 Order, made under The Finance (No. 2) Act 1987—following a debate in the Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation on 11 June. The section 102 Order provides the legal authority for the visa fee increase by allowing past deficits incurred in the costs of running the Entry Clearance operation to be taken into account when setting visa fees and for the cross- subsidisation of the costs of different entry clearance services.
	Most visa fees will go up by between 8 per cent. and 10 per cent. The main increases are:
	Standard visit visa: up 9 per cent. from £33 to £36
	The single entry visa has ceased to exist since the introduction in October 2000 of visas of leave to enter. The new standard visa for multiple entries valid for six months at £36 is cheaper than the old six-month multiple-entry visa, which provided the same level of service at a cost of £45.
	Five-year multiple-entry visa: up 10 per cent. from £80 to £88
	Settlement visa: up 8 per cent. from £240 to £260
	In addition, the long-term non-settlement visa fee will increase by 50 per cent. from £50 to £75.
	A new 10-year multiple entry visa priced at £150 is also being introduced for the first time. There is growing demand for this kind of visa. Its introduction will provide an enhanced service to regular travellers to the UK, without compromising the integrity of the Immigration Control.
	The Consular Fees Order setting new visa fees is being made not only to cover current costs but also to recover past deficits of visa fees (from April 2000), caused by the increased cost of the entry clearance operation worldwide. It is intended that these increases will return the entry clearance operation to a self-financing basis by 2003–04.
	We recognise that these fee increases will be unwelcome. However, we must make sure that the full cost of providing a visa service is covered by visa fees.
	To put these increases into context:
	These would be the first fee increase for visitor's visas since 1995
	The proposed increases still keep UKvisas within their Service Delivery Agreement commitment not to increase visa fees in real terms
	The standard visit visa at £36 is still cheaper than the old six-month multiple entry visa which provided the same level of service at a cost of £45
	Applicants now get more for their money. Since October 2000, the standard visit visa has not only allowed people to visit the UK on multiple occasions during the validity of their leave to enter, they also benefit from an enhanced and speedier immigration process on arrival.
	UKvisas is undertaking a range of measures to reduce costs and increase productivity. But these alone will not be sufficient to recover the deficit. The increases will enable UKvisas not only to recover past deficits, but also to cover the increased costs of the provision of visa services.

East Timor

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what continuing support the Government will offer to East Timor.

Mike O'Brien: Further to my answer of 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 721, I should clarify that at the Donor Conference in Dili on 14–15 May, the UK confirmed its pledge of £12 million to East Timor over the next three years. This brings the total UK assistance package to over £30 million since 1999.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of France concerning the future mineral exploitation of the Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I am informed that we have had no discussions with the Government of France concerning the future mineral exploitation of the Western Sahara.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made to the Government of Morocco concerning their occupation of the Western Sahara.

Mike O'Brien: We regularly discuss the issue of Western Sahara with the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco. My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), raised the issue during his visit to Morocco in September 2001 and when he met with Mohammed Benaissa the Moroccan Foreign Minister during his visit to London in March 2002. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State also discussed the subject with Mohammed Benaissa during his visit to London in February 2002.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the British contribution has been to Minurso for each of the past five years.

Mike O'Brien: The British contribution to Minurso over the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 934,360 
			 1998–99 2,369,371 
			 1999–2000 1,014,550 
			 2000–01 1,984,177 
			 2001–02 2,148,347

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the UN Secretary General concerning the proposals by his representative on the future of the Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The mandate for the UN Mission for a Referendum in Western Sahara is due for renewal on 31 July. The UN Secretary General asked UN Security Council members to choose a suitable direction for his special envoy James Baker, to pursue in helping the parties find a solution to the dispute in Western Sahara.
	UK officials have been working with American, French and other Security Council colleagues in New York and in the capitals of Security Council members in an effort to reach a consensus on a suitable direction before 31 July.
	The UK has maintained a consistent position, that we continue to support the efforts of the United Nations Secretary General in trying to find a just and durable resolution to the dispute.

Zimbabwe

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which overseas Governments he has consulted since the Zimbabwean Presidential elections on their acceptance of (a) the result and (b) the legitimacy of these elections.

Denis MacShane: We have discussed the result and legitimacy of the Presidential election in Zimbabwe with our European Union partners, the Commonwealth, members of the Southern African Development Community and other concerned members of the international community, including the United States.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 28 May regarding a constituent.

Mike O'Brien: My officials at UKvisas replied to the hon. Member for Walsall, North's letters of 28 May on 24 and 26 June 2002.

Chechnya

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring of human rights in Chechnya has been undertaken by UK representatives.

Mike O'Brien: The embassy in Moscow sends regular reports of the human rights situation in Chechnya, though the security situation has meant that we permit no British Government personnel to visit the region. There are however a number of non-governmental organisations active in monitoring human rights in Chechnya, with whom we are in close touch.

EU Applicants

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the Government's assessment of the economic and social impact on the United Kingdom of the accession to the EU of the Eastern European applicant nations.

Peter Hain: pursuant to his reply, 17 June 2002, c. 7
	The answer that was given to my right hon. Friend on 17 June contained an error. The full correct answer is as follows:
	The Government have not made an integrated study of the economic and social impact of EU enlargement on the United Kingdom. However, independent economic studies by the European Round Table of Industrialists and the Centre for Economic Policy Reform show that EU enlargement could increase UK GDP by £1.75 billion and create 300,000 jobs among the EU-15. I have placed copies of these reports in the House of Commons Library.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2002, Official Report, column 641–2W, what progress has been made on regional introduction of the freedom to roam under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Alun Michael: As my noble Friend the Lord Whitty answered in another place on 10 April, (HL Deb. column WA 92), we are persuaded of the potential advantages to walkers of bringing the right of access into force on a regional basis. We need to think further about the practical considerations in respect of, for example, managing access and ensuring that members of the public are properly informed of their rights and responsibilities.
	We are looking very carefully at this, and we will make an announcement when we have reached a decision.

Animal Welfare

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department and its predecessors have spent on animal welfare in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by category.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 24 June 2002
	These figures represent the outturn for the Animal Health and Veterinary Group (AHVG) and the amount spent on animal welfare R&D for the last five years. The reduction in expenditure in 2001–02 reflects the diversion of effort on to foot and mouth disease. The total figure for that year actually continued the upward trend of previous years.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 (32)2001–02  
		
		
			 AHVG Outturn 107 126 152 183 159 
			 Animal Welfare R&D 4.1 3.7 3.4 3.7 3.2 
		
	
	(32) Provisional—subject to audit

Private Veterinary Surgeons

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department has paid private veterinary surgeons for contract work with her Department (a) in total and (b) per hour in each of the last ten years for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 24 June 2002
	DEFRA came into being on 8 June 2001. The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Advisory Committee on Forestry and Cork is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The mandate of the Advisory Committee on Forestry and Cork is to improve communication throughout the EU forestry sector. It comprises representatives from private sector forestry and forest industries and enables primarily non-governmental practitioners from member states to present their views on forestry and the forestry industry, policy and developments directly to the European Commission.
	The committee has met twice in the last 12 months. The UK is represented by the Forestry Commission and the private forestry sector. The approximate annual cost of the committee's work to public funds is £400.
	The committee is currently considering the role of forestry in the context of EU rural development policy, implementation of the EU forestry strategy and the availability of wood.
	Together with member states, the commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the commission".
	As an obligation to this decision, the commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Library of the House on 26 February (Commission Document 5685/02).
	As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Scientific Technical and Economic Committee on Fisheries is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries is a permanent committee set up within the European Commission as a source of highly qualified scientific assistance (particularly in the application of marine and fisheries biology, fishing technology, fishing economics or similar disciplines) in relation to the implementation of the Community system for fisheries and aquaculture. The committee holds two plenary meetings per year, plus ad hoc expert groups. The UK is currently represented by scientists from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the FRS Marine Laboratory. The commission pays travel and subsistence costs: only the cost of the experts' time, as part of their broad duty to provide scientific advice, falls to national Governments. The committee draws up annual reports on the biological, technical and economic aspects of the fisheries resource situation and on work and requirements in relation to the co-ordination of research for the fisheries and aquaculture sector. It also provides advice to the commission on prospective proposals for action.
	As the committee's role is to provide scientific, technical and economic advice to the commission, there are no issues over accountability and transparency to Parliament.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Advisory Committee on Community Policy Regarding Forestry and Forest-based Industries is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The mandate of the Advisory Committee on Community Policy regarding Forestry and Forest- based Industries is to encourage the forest-based industry to become a model sector in the field of sustainable development.
	The Committee has met once in the last 12 months. The UK is represented by members of the forestry industry. The cost to public funds for the last 12 months was £200.
	The key issues currently under consideration are securing sufficient supplies of sustainable produced raw material and the enhanced use of wood.
	Together with member states, the Commission is currently conducting a review to bring existing legislation on the conduct of comitology committees into line with Council Decision 1999/468/EC, to "simplify the requirements for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission".
	As an obligation to this Decision, the Commission undertook to publish an annual report on the working of committees. The first report was deposited in the Library of the House on 26 February (Commission Document 5685–02).
	As part of the review process, the UK Government have encouraged the Commission to produce and maintain an electronic database of every comitology committee, its agendas and recent actions, to be accessible through its website.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Advisory Committee on Non-Food and Textile Crops is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Advisory Committee on Non-Food and Textile Crops is a consultative committee of the European Commission. Its purpose is to facilitate consultation with industry representatives with an interest in the EU regime for natural fibres but we understand it has not met for some time. It is not attended by officials of Her Majesty's Government and does not give rise to costs to UK public funds.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the mandate of the Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the Directive on the prevention and reduction of environmental pollution by asbestos is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The mandate of the Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the Directive on the prevention and reduction of environmental pollution by asbestos is to make changes to the technical annex on methods of sampling and analysis of asbestos concentrations in air or water. This Committee has not met in the last 12 months, so has had no costs to public funds and has not considered any items.

Staff Numbers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff were employed by her Department on (a) 2 May 1997 and (b) 31 May 2002.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 13 June 2002, Official Report, column 1402W.

Warm Front Scheme

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in reducing fuel poverty through the Warm Front Scheme; how many households have been assisted in (a) 1999–2000 and (b) 2000–01; how much the average cost was in (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01 of assisting each household via the Warm Front Scheme in terms of (A) actual cost of the measures carried out and (B) the average cost of the administration which enabled households to receive the measures; what the measures, the planned expenditure is on warm front in (1) 2002–03 and (2) 2003–04; and what the percentage change has been in expenditure in each region of the UK since 1999–2000.

Michael Meacher: The new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme, launched in June 2000 is marketed as Warm Front.
	The table provides details for the previous HEES, which provided insulation measures only (column two), Warm Front from launch of the scheme in June 2000 to March 2001 (column three) and April 2001 to March 2002 (column four).
	
		
			  April 1999 to March 2000 June 2000 to March 2001 April 2001 to March 2002 
		
		
			 Number of households assisted who receive either insulation, heating or both 339,000 106,800 254,600 
			 Average value per household (£) 176 322 464 
			 Value of measures (£) 59,670,000 34,360,000 140,600,000 
		
	
	The reduction in the number of households assisted by Warm Front reflects the introduction of the package approach of measures combining insulation and heating under the scheme. There was also a slow start for gas heating due to the national shortage of trained heating engineers. Measures installed may include cavity wall, loft insulation, draught proofing, individual gas wall heaters or electric storage heaters and either gas or electric central heating systems.
	These figures do not identify the scheme managers' administration costs. Information regarding administration costs is commercially sensitive and could be used in future tender rounds to unfairly distort the competition process.
	The budget for Warm Front, an England only scheme, for the financial years 2000 to 2004 is over £600 million. The information on the percentage change of expenditure for each region in the UK is not held in the format requested for individual households and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on the measures installed at individual property in 2000–01 has previously been provided on 15 January 2002, Official Report, column 261W. A copy of the data referred to in that answer is available on CD-Rom in the Library.
	We will carry out a review of Warm Front during this financial year to look at how effective its delivery has been, the issues faced, solutions found, examples of best practice and future priorities. This will include consideration of the impact of the scheme on reducing the number of vulnerable fuel poor households.

Bees

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) notifications and (b) confirmations of specified diseases under the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982 there were in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Elliot Morley: There are three notifiable diseases specified under the Bee Diseases Control Order 1982—American foulbrood; European foulbrood; and Varroosis (varroa). All new suspected cases have to be reported, and in England investigations are carried out by the National Bee Unit (NBU). The numbers of notifications and confirmations of these diseases are set out in the table below by NBU region. Data for American and European foulbrood before 1994 is not available.
	
		Numbers of varroa samples received
		
			 Region 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Varroa positive samples  
			 Northern 0 0 0 2 19 34 105 141 230 
			 North East 1 10 30 103 124 162 132 47 25 
			 Western 1 28 75 81 197 198 93 34 9 
			 Eastern 17 55 31 200 252 68 17 12 7 
			 South West 124 166 114 87 57 25 7 3 4 
			 Southern 33 176 207 283 152 53 13 15 5 
			 South East 128 165 142 179 116 35 11 9 6 
			 Wales 1 0 11 53 54 94 61 47 15 
			  
			 Totals 305 600 610 988 971 669 439 308 301 
			 Varroa negatives  
			 Region 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 
			 Northern 221 345 288 273 309 213 158 92 42 
			 North East 588 734 837 415 611 237 32 5 1 
			 Western 594 752 609 617 607 221 40 10 3 
			 Eastern 530 530 288 254 168 19 2 3 1 
			 South West 593 279 158 86 66 17 3 1 0 
			 Southern 933 837 518 214 110 23 2 3 0 
			 South East 604 508 286 120 35 8 6 2 1 
			 Wales 329 341 310 492 284 160 43 18 21 
			  
			 Totals 4392 4326 3294 2471 2190 898 286 134 69 
			 Total no samples received 4697 4926 3904 3459 3161 1567 725 442 370 
		
	
	(33) 2002 data to 20 June

Bees

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent (a) representations she has received from and (b) discussions she has had with the beekeeping industry; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: My officials meet annually with representatives of the UK beekeeping sector. The most recent meeting was held on 8 November 2001, when a range of issues affecting the sector were discussed, including measures to control bee diseases. The Central Science Laboratory's National Bee Unit (NBU) also meets beekeepers regularly.
	Most recently, the Department has received a number of written representations from beekeepers about financial burdens placed on Bee Diseases Insurance (BDI) Ltd. We welcome BDI's role in encouraging beekeepers in England to play their part in the identification of notifiable diseases. However, the issue of payments by insurance companies is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and affiliated bodies. My officials have passed these representations to these organisations as appropriate.

Bees

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on bee (a) husbandry and (b) disease prevention by category in each of the last 10 years.

Elliot Morley: The Department assists the beekeeping sector in England by funding a range of measures to protect bee health. Under these measures, the national bee unit provides a free diagnostic and inspection service to the beekeeping sector as well as training and education to help beekeepers become more self reliant through improved bee husbandry. The Department also supports the beekeeping sector through strategic research into bee pests and diseases.
	It is not possible to differentiate expenditure between bee husbandry and disease control. All fieldwork undertaken by the national bee unit is for the purpose of disease prevention and control. Departmental expenditure on R&D for the period 1992–93 to 2001–02 is set out in the table. Prior to 1994 the regional offices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food were responsible for bee disease control. In 1994 this work was centralised within the national bee unit and aggregated figures are not available for earlier years.
	
		£ 
		
			   Expenditure under memorandum of understanding with Central Science Laboratory National Bee Unit R&D Expenditure Total Expenditure 
		
		
			 1992–93 — 61,000 61,000 
			 1993–94 — 140,000 140,000 
			 1994–95 1,511,000 314,000 1,825,000 
			 1995–96 1,534,000 259,000 1,793,000 
			 1996–97 1,300,000 203,000 1,503,000 
			 1997–98 1,300,000 215,000 1,515,000 
			 1998–99 1,300,000 248,000 1,548,000 
			 1999–2000 1,300,000 241,000 1,541,000 
			 2000–01 1,300,000 226,000 1,526,000 
			 2001–02 1,300,000 187,000 1,487,000

Bees

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered beekeepers there were in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Elliot Morley: There is no compulsory registration of beekeepers in England. The database held by the Central Science Laboratory's National Bee Unit, which is used to maintain records of statutory inspections, holds details of some 25,000 beekeepers.

Curry Report

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the timetable and implementation of the Curry report.

Elliot Morley: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 26 March a series of early actions as a first step towards implementing the report. At the same time, a comprehensive process of engagement with a wide range of stakeholders was launched to explore how to translate the commission's vision into action. This has included a series of regional and sectoral events and the publication of a document, "Sustainable Food and Farming: Working Together". Feedback from these is now being analysed and will help inform construction of a Strategy for Sustainable Food and Farming in England, to be launched in the autumn. The strategy will incorporate a response to all of the Policy Commission's recommendations.

Beef Exports

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to meet her French counterpart to discuss the ban on British beef exports.

Elliot Morley: The Secretary of State regularly raises the French Government's illegal ban on British beef with her French counterpart. The Prime Minister also made it clear when he met President Chirac on 19 June that he expected the new French Government to lift their ban on the import of UK date-based export scheme beef rapidly.

Air Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date the standards for the eight pollutants named in the National Air Quality Strategy were last reviewed; and on what date they will next be reviewed.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The standards within the Air Quality Strategy are recommended to Ministers by the Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards (EPAQS) or are based on the limit values in the European Union's Air Quality Daughter Directives. The Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards and their secretariat keep a watching brief on the literature for the health effects of air pollutants and make recommendations to the Department when they are aware of information that could change their original point of view.
	The table sets out when each of the standards was first proposed, dates of any reviews already carried out and plans for future reviews.
	
		
			 Pollutant First produced Reviewed Next review 
		
		
			 Benzene February 1994 by EPAQS EU Second Daughter Directive limit value to be adopted in 2002 Daughter Directive requires the European Commission to report by 2004 
			 1,3-butadiene December 1994 by EPAQS EPAQS second report due to be published shortly  
			 Carbon monoxide December 1994 by EPAQS EU Second Daughter Directive limit value to be adopted in 2002 Daughter Directive requires the European Commission to report by 2004 
			 Lead May 1998 by EPAQS EU First Daughter Directive limit value adopted in 1999 Daughter Directive requires the European Commission to report by 2003 
			 Nitrogen dioxide December 1996 by EPAQS EU First Daughter Directive limit value adopted in 1999 To be reviewed by European Commission in 2003 
			 Ozone May 1994 by EPAQS EU Third Daughter Directive limit value to be adopted in 2003 Under review as part of the Clear Air for Europe programme 
			 Particulate matter November 1995 by EPAQS EU First Daughter Directive limit value adopted in 1999 To be reviewed by European Commission in 2003 
			 Sulphur dioxide September 1995 by EPAQS EU First Daughter Directive limit value adopted in 1999 Daughter Directive requires the European Commission to report by 2003

Air Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many air quality monitoring sites operate in the United Kingdom; how many of these sites monitor all the pollutants named in the National Air Quality Strategy; and how many of these sites recorded air quality exceedences for each of the pollutants named in the National Air Quality Strategy.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 June 2002
	There are a total of 1,709 air quality monitoring sites in United Kingdom. These are broken down by network in Table 1 below.
	
		Table 1: Number of air quality monitoring sites in the United Kingdom
		
			   Number of sites 
		
		
			 Automatic monitoring (nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, PM 1  0 , carbon monoxide, ozone, benzene, 1,3-butadiene) 122 
			 Non-automatic monitoring:  
			 Nitrogen dioxide diffusion tubes 1309 
			 Black smoke/sulphur dioxide 150 
			 Rural sulphur dioxide 40 
			 Rural nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube 32 
			 Lead 6 
			 Benzene 28 
			 Hazardous air pollutants (PCBs, Dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) 22 
			  
			 Total 1709 
		
	
	No sites monitor all the pollutants in the Air Quality Strategy. However, London Marylebone Road monitors all the pollutants except lead. The number of sites recording air quality exceedences for the pollutants named in the Strategy during 2001 are given in Table 2 below.
	
		Table 2: number of sites exceeding the standards and objectives in the Air Quality Strategy in 2001
		
			  Automatic sites  Standard  Objective Number of sites exceeding Air Quality Strategy standard in 2001 Number of sites exceeding Air Quality Strategy objective in 2001 
		
		
			 Nitrogen dioxide Hourly mean, 200 micrograms per metre cubed, not to be exceeded more than 18 times per year 18 4 
			  Annual mean, 40 micrograms per metre cubed  32 0 
			 Sulphur dioxide 15 minute mean, 266 micrograms per metre cubed not to be exceeded more than 35 times per year 17 1 
			  Hourly mean, 350 micrograms per metre cubed, not to be exceeded more than 24 times per year 2 0 
			  Daily mean, 125 micrograms per metre cubed not to be exceeded more than 3 times per year 1 1 
			 Particulate matter (PM 1  0 ) 24 hour mean, 50 micrograms per cubic metre not to be exceeded more than 35 times per year 59 6 
			  Annual mean, 40 micrograms per cubic metre  1  
			 Carbon monoxide Running 8 hour mean, 11.6 milligrams per metre cubed  0 0 
			 Benzene Running annual mean, 16.25 micrograms per metre cubed  0 0 
			 1,3-butadiene Running annual mean 2.25 micrograms per metre cubed  0 0 
			 Non-Automatic sites   Number of sites exceeding Air Quality Strategy standard in 2001 Number of sites exceeding Air Quality Strategy objective in 2001 
			 Nitrogen dioxide Annual mean 40 micrograms per metre cubed  251  
			 Sulphur dioxide Daily mean, 125 micrograms per metre cubed not to be exceeded more than 3 times per year 8 4 
			 Lead Annual mean, 0.5 micrograms per metre cubed  0 0

Air Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when (a) 1,3-butadienes, (b) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, (c) cadmium, (d) arsenic, (e) nickel and (f) mercury will be added to the pollutants monitored under the National Air Quality Strategy for the United Kingdom.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Of these pollutants:
	(a) 1,3 butadiene is already one of the eight pollutants covered by the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000 ("the Strategy");
	(b) we consulted in September 2001 on the possibility of adding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to the list of pollutants covered by the Strategy, and hope to make an announcement on this shortly. Levels of PAH in the UK are currently measured at 21 sites, and we hope to add a further 4 sites to the network as soon as possible;
	(c) we have no immediate plans to add cadmium, arsenic, nickel and mercury to the list of pollutants covered by the Strategy. Our monitoring shows that levels of these pollutants in ambient air in the UK are not generally a cause for concern, and the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) estimates that emissions of each have fallen significantly in recent years. Between 1990 and 1999, for example, estimated emissions of cadmium, arsenic, nickel and mercury fell by 71 per cent. 69 per cent., 47 per cent., and 65 per cent. respectively.
	We understand that the planned Fourth European Union Air Quality Daughter Directive may include proposals in respect of PAH, cadmium, arsenic, nickel and mercury. We intend to keep under review the need for separate national measures on these pollutants in the light of progress with negotiations on the Directive.

Air Pollution

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what efforts have been taken to ensure the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants plays a role in supporting the United Kingdom's input into air pollution policy making within the European Union.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants is a Department of Health non-departmental public body. Its advice is published in Reports and Statements, which are publicly available on the Committee's website "http:// www.doh.gov.uk/comeap/index.htm". As necessary we draw attention to that advice in contacts and in negotiations with the Commission and other member states. The advice from the Committee is taken into account in developing a UK position on proposals for new air quality legislation.
	The World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently carrying out reviews on the health impacts of particulate matter and ozone, which will feed into air pollution policy in the European Union. Department of Health officials ensure that WHO is aware of the work of the Committee.

Environmental Performance (FTSE Companies)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place a list of FTSE 350 companies and their reporting on their environmental performance in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: In April we wrote to companies in the FTSE350 asking them what they had done to respond to the Prime Minister's challenge to report on their environmental performance. We are currently awaiting a few late replies and will shortly be able to provide a final update to the list placed in the Library of the House in response to the hon. Gentleman's question of 21 March, showing FTSE 350 companies with details of their reporting.

Environmental Information

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in relation to the development of labelling of environmental information for consumers; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps (a) have been taken and (b) are planned by her Department to provide environmental information for consumers; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Government are keen to ensure that consumers have clear and relevant information about the environmental effects of consumer products. It has appointed the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE) to look at opportunities for developing better quality environmental information, as part of the Committee's remit to advise on ways of reducing the impacts of consumer products on the environment.
	The Government are considering a number of ACCPE's recommendations for improving product information. These include proposals for improving the quality of self-declared environmental claims, which are being explored further by the Department taking into account stakeholders' views. The Government are also considering ACCPE's proposals for developing a common label for homes, cars and domestic appliances, based on the format of the EU Energy label. In the case of homes, we are looking to develop a methodology for assessing the energy efficiency of existing homes more cost effectively, and this will include a look at the possibilities for comparative energy rating. A comparative label for cars is being considered by DfT in the light of the response to their recent consultation paper on this topic.
	ACCPE has also proposed setting up a new internet information service which could provide advice and guidance on the environmental impacts of products and the scope for making more sustainable consumption choices. It recommended that the Government should first commission a feasibility study into such a project, and this has been done. Having considered the results of this study, ACCPE have made further recommendations in their second report, "Action for Greener Products: A toolbox for change", published in May, about the practicalities of piloting a new service. The Government are currently considering how a pilot can be taken forward. Copies of ACCPE's second report have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The Department already publishes and promotes the Green Claims Code which gives best practice advice to business and the consumer on environmental information and labelling.
	We have also published, distributed and continue to promote a number of information leaflets to help business and consumers in this area. These include "Hi I'm Green" which is a guide to the most commonly occurring environmental claims and labels on products and explains how to ask for further information; "Energy labels for refrigeration and washing appliances—helping you make the right choice", which outlines the EU energy label scheme; and "Pick the flower—the ecolabel" which explains the EU ecolabelling scheme. Copies of all these leaflets have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Environmental Information

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) guidance and (b) legislation is (i) in place and (ii) planned with regards to labelling of environmental information for consumers; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Department's Green Claims Code provides guidance on good practice in the making of environmental claims. It is intended as an introduction to the more detailed guidance in the International Standard ISO14021. The Department has no plans at present to revise the Code.
	There is no specific piece of legislation regarding environmental information for consumers, but trading standards officers have powers under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 to deal with claims that are demonstrably false. The Director General of Fair Trading can also take action against misleading environmental claims under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988. The Government are committed to ensuring that the regulatory framework for tackling misleading green claims is effective and will keep the need for any new legislation under review.
	In respect of individual environmental labelling schemes, the European Community Energy Label must be displayed on all new domestic refrigerators, freezers and fridge-freezer combinations, washing machines, electric tumble dryers, combined washer-dryers, dishwashers and lamps displayed for sale, hire or hire-purchase. The UK and other member states have until 1 January 2003 to transpose Directives 2002/31/EC and 2002/40/EC which will extend this requirement to household air conditioners and electric ovens. Details of relevant legislation can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/mtp/ index.htm#S3
	A separate scheme, the European ecolabel award, is designed to encourage manufacturers to reduce the environmental impacts of a growing range of products, and to encourage consumers to choose products with the label. The scheme was set up in 1992 by EU Regulation 880–92, which was revised in 2000 by Regulation 1980–2000. As Regulations, these took effect automatically in UK law without further legislation.
	Participation by manufacturers is voluntary, but under the Regulations member states are required to promote the scheme and to designate competent bodies to run it. In the UK the scheme is administered by the Secretary of State. DEFRA has a website giving guidance about the scheme http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/ecolabel/index.htm, and has produced explanatory and promotional leaflets about it for business and consumers.

Food Contamination

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department is producing a strategy to reduce emissions of dioxins and dioxin contamination of food.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 26 June 2002
	With the devolved Administrations, other Government Departments and Agencies my Department will shortly be producing a UK consultation paper on dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. This will draw on the wealth of recent information coming from scientific research, both in the UK and internationally, to improve our understanding of their formation, emissions, environmental transport and effects.
	This consultation paper will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to consider and comment on what further actions will be required, as part of an UK action plan, to continue the trend of reducing environmental and human exposure to these compounds.

Flood Risk

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of information compiled by the insurance industry on flood risk, based upon Environment Agency maps.

Elliot Morley: Ministers, and officials in DEFRA and the Environment Agency are in active discussions with the insurance industry in developing a shared understanding of genuine flood risk. In order to achieve this, DEFRA and the EA are working together to build upon the information provided by the current flood plain maps to include information on present and future flood defences. Once more informative data on risk have been developed it will be shared with the industry so that they may use it when making commercial decisions based on risk assessments. The Department continues to pursue its aim to reduce flood risk including through significant investments in flood alleviation measures.

Sheep Dip

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when in 1991 the Health and Safety Executive met representatives from the VMD and the National Office for Animal Health to discuss sheep dip surveys; and if she will place the minutes of the meetings in the Library.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 June 2002
	A meeting took place on 25 February 1991 between VMD, HSE and the National Office for Animal Health (NOAH) to discuss the HSE safety survey on sheep dips and Controls of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) in general. Despite extensive searches of records by all three parties in response to earlier inquiries, no minutes from that meeting can be traced.

Sheep Dip

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when in 1993 non-OP ingredients in sheep dip were removed from the market; and when the licence for such products was withdrawn by the VMD;
	(2)  when in 1991 sheep dip manufacturers were asked by executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies under the remit of her Department to change the formulations for sheep dip; and on what date the changes were effected.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 June 2002
	Almost all veterinary medicinal products contain ingredients in addition to their main active ingredient. Minor changes to these ingredients in individual veterinary medicinal products are not unusual.
	In 1993 a number of OP sheep dip product manufacturers removed phenols from their formulations. A full report of the regulatory action that led to this action is available on the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)'s website. Copies of this report have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The manufacture of UK authorised OP sheep dip products containing phenols ceased on 31 March 1993.

Sheep Dip

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to secure publication of the 1992 study into sheep dip products carried out by the Central Veterinary Laboratory for the VMD.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 25 June 2002
	We are not aware of any such Central Veterinary Laboratory study into sheep dip products for the VMD.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her departmental scientists have made, or been advised of, of the (a) stock levels, (b) fishing mortality levels and (c) estimated biological limits for each of the commercial species known to be caught by UK fishermen in the deep water at or beyond the continental shelf.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 June 2002
	Scientists from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science join with international colleagues in the Advisory Committee on Fisheries Management (ACFM) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), in agreeing and publishing annual scientific advice on the management of commercially exploited fish stocks. The latest advice from the ACFM on deep water species is contained in the committee's report published following its meeting in May 2002. Broadly, the advice on most such species is that the balance of available evidence suggests that they should be subjected only to substantially reduced—or in some cases to very low—rates of exploitation.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has received from the European Commission on the extent of competence which it may be possible to convey under the existing regulatory framework to proposed regional advisory councils as set out under its reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 June 2002
	The commission's proposals for the establishment of regional advisory councils envisage that they would have the following functions:
	(a) to submit suggestions, of their own accord or at the request of the commission or a member state, on matters relating to fisheries management to the commission of the member states concerned;
	(b) to give opinions on commission or member state proposals for fisheries management;
	(c) to comment on and recommend improvements in the application of Community legislation.
	The precise role to be given to regional advisory councils will be one of the important matters to be addressed in the forthcoming negotiations in the Council of Ministers.

Fisheries

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will impose bag limits on the landing of fish by recreational anglers.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Limits on the amount of crabs and lobsters that hobby fishermen can take from the sea are being considered as part of the proposed shellfish licensing scheme. The Department is looking at the possibility of bag limits for other species and I would hope to be able to reach firm conclusions this autumn. Any proposals to introduce bag limits will be the subject of consultation with both commercial and recreational interests.

Fisheries

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome of the Fisheries Council held on 11 June was; what the Government's stance on the issues discussed, including its voting record was; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: I represented the United Kingdom at a meeting of the EU Council of Fisheries Ministers in Luxembourg on 11 June, together with Ross Finnie, Minister for Environment and Rural Development in the Scottish Executive and Mrs. Brid Rodgers, the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development.
	The commissioner gave an introductory presentation on his proposals for the future of the Common Fisheries Policy, as published on 29 May. Negotiations on this are scheduled to take place during the remainder of 2002, with the aim of reaching conclusions by the year-end. Ministers took the opportunity to state their initial reactions. For the United Kingdom I said that, though of course we would have concerns to pursue on some issues, we could support the broad thrust of the proposals, aimed as they are at addressing the risk of stock collapse and creating a sustainable future for the fishing industry: I said the commission was right in particular to have proposed an end to subsidies for building new vessels, continued adherence to relative stability as the method of allocating fishing opportunities among member states, and the setting up of regional advisory councils to improve stakeholders' involvement in decisions on the management of fisheries. I also emphasised the need to examine the socio-economic impact of the commission proposals and to be ready in the short-term to help the communities that depend on fishing to respond to what will inevitably be difficult circumstances.
	Some member states expressed similar broad support, while others indicated significant dissent, especially in relation to the reduction of fishing effort, the ending of construction grants and what they alleged was the failure of the commission's proposals to take account of the diversity of fishing operations across the EU.
	There was a useful policy debate on the commission proposal for long-term recovery plans for threatened cod and hake stocks. Aspects covered included the methodology for setting recovery targets for these stocks, the need to limit fishing effort and the ways in which this might be done, additional funding for scrapping vessels, monitoring and inspection and the introduction of emergency measures to safeguard stocks. Various views were expressed: for the UK, I gave a qualified welcome to the commission's proposal, emphasising the need for engaging with the industry in a full debate on effort control and the importance of ensuring the permanent scrapping of excess fleet capacity rather than funding the temporary tie-up of vessels. The presidency referred the dossier back to working level for development.
	On the protection of deep water species, the Council considered a joint presidency/commission compromise and by qualified majority reached political agreement on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for certain stocks of black scabbardfish, blue ling, greater silver smelt, ling, orange roughy, red seabream, roundnose grenadier and tusk. It also agreed, again by qualified majority, a general approach on a measure introducing a permit requirement limiting fishing capacity in relation to certain deep sea species.
	I declared the United Kingdom's opposition to this pair of measures. The permit system and associated provisions for data gathering are welcome in that they may eventually facilitate the introduction of the effort limitation that is truly needed to give these fragile stocks the protection that they need. But we could not support the package as a whole because of the lack of urgency in bringing about effort limitation and because of the unsatisfactory measures to protect these species in the interim. We do not consider that these measures go anything like far enough to protect these fragile species, given the bleakness of the scientists' advice. Setting TACs and quotas, especially when some species are omitted and not all areas are covered, is not in our view an adequate response. I also thought the levels of TAC too high and not based on sound science.
	The Council also adopted, unanimously, conclusions reiterating its commitment to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing—a very welcome conclusion in view of the threat posed to sustainable management of global fish stocks by the activities of flag of convenience vessels.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) other EU fishing nations in respect of the maintenance of the relative stability parameters throughout the period of the reformed common fisheries policy commencing in January 2003.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 June 2002
	I have welcomed the Commission's proposal to continue to allocate Total Allowable Catches among member states on the basis of relative stability. This mechanism has widespread support, provides a degree of predictability for fishermen and is a fair way to allocate resources. The Commission's proposal on this is one element of a comprehensive package of Commission proposals on the future of the common fisheries policy: I expect extensive discussions with the Commission and other EU member states on the totality of this package to take place during coming months.

Fisheries

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the proposed European road map for the reform of the common fisheries policy in respect of (a) in-shore fishermen, (b) the future management of shellfish, (c) the management of multi-annual quotas, (d) the future market for the trade in quotas, (e) the confidence in retaining relative stability, (f) the opportunities to give fishing industry stakeholders executive power to make policy and management decisions and (g) the prospects for the future of the United Kingdom fishing industry.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 17 June 2002
	The Commission published its first set of proposals for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy on 28 May 2002. Our preliminary assessment is that the aims of the proposals are broadly in line with the UK view developed in the light of our consultation with stakeholders last year about the Commission's Green Paper on the subject. We shall in coming weeks be assessing, again in consultation with all interested parties in the UK, all the possible implications of the Commission's proposals.

Fisheries

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the European Commission's proposals for fleet reductions set out on page 49 of draft Council Regulation 2002/0114.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 19 June 2002
	The Commission have made clear that they do not seek to impose cuts in fleet capacity on member states. Their figures which detail fleet cuts by member states are to be taken as purely illustrative. The scale of decommissioning in any individual member state will depend on the decisions taken by the Council on measures to reduce fishing effort and on the decisions by fishermen in the light of the impact of these measures.

Fisheries

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she intends to take on the discarding of fish caught in the EU.

Elliot Morley: The Department and representatives of the UK fishing industry contributed to a workshop convened by the European Commission in May on options to reduce discarding. The Commission intends to publish an action plan this year to tackle discarding as part of its proposals for reform of the common fisheries policy. We will study carefully the Commission's proposals when they are published.

Fisheries

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the impact the seal population has on sustainable fish stocks around the UK.

Elliot Morley: Based on 1985 diet data it is estimated that in 1998 240,000 tonnes of fish were consumed by grey seals and 75,000 tonnes by common seals. The predominant prey species of seals were sand eels, cod and whiting and most of the fish taken by seals are likely to have been juveniles. Given the high rates of natural mortality for these species, there is no guarantee that had they not been caught by seals, they would have survived to reach a size at which they would have been available to either commercial fishermen or anglers. We are currently funding the Sea Mammal Research Unit to undertake an update of this work.

Fisheries

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the (a) gross tonnage and (b) kilowatts of engine power permanently withdrawn from (i) the beam trawling sector and (ii) the pelagic sector under MAGP IV; and what assessment she has made of the possibility of the UK meeting the required targets set under this programme by the end of the period.

Elliot Morley: The MAGP IV programme covers the period 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2002. The latest information available covers the situation up to 31 December 2001. During this period, a decommissioning scheme was operated in the UK in 1997 to permanently withdraw capacity and engine power from the UK fleet using public aid. This resulted in reductions in gross tonnage and engine power of 1,000 tonnes and 4,443 kilowatts for the beam trawl segment of the fleet, and nine tonnes and 97 kilowatts for the pelagic segment. Further reductions in the beam trawling segment are expected in 2002 as a result of the decommissioning schemes this year.
	In addition, there have also been reductions in capacity resulting from capacity penalties on licence transfers and aggregations, and action to correct discrepancies in engine power. These reductions are permanent and are included within the assessments made of the overall gross tonnage and engine power of the UK fleet. However, separate data on such reductions are not routinely produced, and could not be made available without use of a disproportionate level of resources.
	The MAGP IV programme uses a combination of targets for the total gross tonnage and engine power of different segments of the fishing fleet to be achieved by the end of the programme on 31 December 2002, along with an alternative of effort control objectives for each year that can be used for certain segments of the fleet. Both need to be borne in mind when considering whether or not the UK has met its objectives under MAGP IV. As such, using the fleet situation as at 31 December 2001, the UK was outside the targets for gross tonnage and engine power for the pelagic segment, but within the targets for the beam trawl segment. However, the UK was within the effort control objectives for both of these segments.

GM Crops

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out the sequence for regulation of the approval process for GM crops in the UK.

Michael Meacher: Before a GMO, including a GM crop, can be released in the UK or the EU it must be assessed for safety to human health and the environment and be approved under either Part B or Part C of Directive 90/220/EEC on the Deliberate Release into the Environment of Genetically Modified Organisms.
	Directive 90–220 has been updated and is being replaced by the new Directive 2001/18/EC, which must be implemented by member states by October 2002. My Department is currently consulting the public on draft implementing regulations for England. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Parliamentary libraries and are available on the DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/index). The Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Department of Environment for Northern Ireland will make separate implementing regulations on issues for which they have devolved powers.
	Decision making on proposed non-commercial releases of GMOs under Part B of the directive (e.g. research trials) occurs at the member state level. In England, a person wishing to undertake such a release must apply to DEFRA for a Part B consent, whereupon DEFRA seeks independent expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment (ACRE) before a decision is taken on whether to grant or refuse a consent. Where appropriate the advice of other experts, for instance the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, will also be sought. Directive 2001–18 clarifies and extends risk assessments to ensure that "direct, indirect, immediate and delayed" effects on human health and the environment are covered. It also introduces a new requirement for mandatory public consultation before decisions on Part B applications are taken. We propose that such consultation should last for a minimum of 48 days.
	Decision-making on proposed commercial releases of GMOs under Part C of the directive occurs at the EU level. A person wishing to market a GMO in the EU must apply for a Part C consent to a competent authority of one of the member states, and the competent authority must prepare a report recommending a course of action. If the report recommends that a consent is refused, the application is rejected. If the report recommends that a consent is granted it must be forwarded to the European Commission and other member states, which discuss the application and can ask for further information, make comments on, or present reasoned objections to, the proposed release. Under the new directive, the Commission must also consult the public (for two separate periods of 30 days) while the application is being considered, and responses are copied to all member states. The Commission and member states then make a collective decision on the application, and a Part C consent is either granted or refused.
	Directive 2001–18 also introduces "post-market monitoring", under which any GMO which is granted a Part C consent must be monitored for unanticipated effects on the environment. The new directive (like its predecessor) ensures that if new information comes to light regarding the risks posed by the GMO to human health or the environment, the consent can be altered or revoked as appropriate.
	GM crops are also subject to other legislation. Varieties of the main agricultural and vegetable species, whether GM or non-GM, cannot be marketed commercially until they have been added to the UK national list of plant varieties or to the EU Common Catalogue (a compendium of member states' national lists). Addition to the national list is dependent on satisfactory completion of a minimum of two years of listing trials, to establish that the variety is distinct, uniform and stable and, for agricultural species, has a value for cultivation and use in the UK. A GM crop cannot be formally proposed for addition to the national list until it has Part C marketing approval under the deliberate release directive (and Novel Foods authorisation where appropriate).
	In addition to clearance of the crop itself, any foods obtained from a GM crop would have to be approved under the EU Novel Foods Regulation EC/258/97. The Food Standards Agency is the UK competent authority for this legislation. Furthermore, if the GM crop is a herbicide tolerant variety, the associated herbicide use would have to be approved under pesticides legislation.

Agricultural Shows

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the criteria are for the cost-effectiveness of her Department's stands at agricultural shows.

Elliot Morley: DEFRA assesses which events it will attend on the basis of target audience and the messages it is trying to communicate. Also taken into account are the numbers and geographical spread of the people who attend the shows.

Agricultural Shows

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many visitors to the South of England Agricultural Show visited her Department's stand.

Elliot Morley: No head count of visitors to DEFRA stands at agricultural shows, including the South of England, have been made. The stands have been designed to represent a forward looking approach and to enable effective and accessible explanation of:
	the wider interests and responsibilities of the Department, and
	policies, issues and activities judged to be relevant to the potential audiences and geographical locations of the shows.

Foot and Mouth

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money the Department has paid contractors for foot and mouth related work; and how much further money is owed.

Elliot Morley: By 24 May 2002 DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency had spent over £1,100 million on goods and services to eradicate the disease.
	Quantity surveyors, forensic accountants and claims surveyors are currently verifying and substantiating contractor accounts.
	Wide ranging issues have arisen on the accounts. These include legal issues such as matters of contractual interpretation, forensic accountancy issues and evidential issues involving the assessment of both a large amount of documentation and proofing of witnesses. Some of these disputes will inevitably result in court proceedings, although DEFRA remains committed to resolving matters by mediation where appropriate.
	In these circumstances it is not possible at present for reasons of legal and commercial confidentiality to disclose how much, if any, further money is owed.

Scrapie

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the contribution that she expects the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Regulations 2002 (S.I., 2002, No. 843) to make to the delivery of the National Scrapie Plan.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 13 June 2002
	The National Scrapie Plan is a long term programme aimed at breeding resistance to TSEs into the national sheep flock. Currently it runs on a voluntary basis. It is in no way affected by, or reliant upon, the powers available under the TSE (England) Regulations 2002, which make provision for the enforcement and administration of EU legislation on TSEs and consolidate previously existing domestic legislation.

Fallen Stock

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact on the competitiveness of British farmers of the existence within the EU of different levels of state aid for eliminating (a) fallen stock and (b) slaughterhouse waste;
	(2)  what her policy is towards state aid for the elimination of fallen stock;
	(3)  what plans she has to change her policies in response to the European Commission's working paper, Animal Waste and Fallen Stock—State Aid Policy Issues;
	(4)  what her policy is on the possible harmonisation or approximation of state aid for eliminating fallen stock within the EU;
	(5)  if she will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting held on 27 May between the European Commission and national Government experts on the disposal of animal wastes and fallen stock.

Elliot Morley: Holding answer 13 June 2002
	DEFRA officials attended a working group with EU counterparts and the Commission where the working paper "Animal Waste and Fallen Stock—State Aid Policy Issues" was discussed, with a view to ensuring consistency in the application of state aid rules relating to animal waste and fallen stock in all Member States. We support the harmonisation of government support given to industry for the disposal of animal wastes and fallen stock. The UK position is that the costs of the collection and disposal of livestock fallen on farm are the responsibility of the farming industry: an application of the so-called "polluter pays" principle.

Grass

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what area is planted to short rotation coppice and miscanthus grass in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: 1,800 hectares of energy crops have been planted in the UK. This is primarily short rotation coppice but includes about 50 hectares of miscanthus. This Department has allocated support of £29 million to solid biomass crops through the Energy Crops Scheme, part of the England Rural Development Programme. Working with other Departments we have put in place schemes with funding of £70 million which will develop markets for biomass, including purpose grown energy crops and material from forests, in heat, combined heat and power and electricity generation. We are also working closely with the Countryside Agency which has launched the Community Renewables Initiative to help local communities develop renewable energy projects. The Renewables Obligation permits the co-firing of energy crops with fossil fuels. The Government have also welcomed the publication of the Energy Review by the Performance and Innovation Unit, which draws attention to the key role of renewable energy sources, including energy crops, in moving to a low carbon economy. Consultation on the key recommendations of the report will lead to a White Paper in the autumn.

Biomass Crops

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public money has been spent in research and promotion in each of the past five years concerning (a) biomass energy crops and (b) biofuels for road transport; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: This Department co-ordinates government research into biomass energy crops and total public expenditure amounts to approximately £2.75 million per annum and has been stable at this level over the last five years. The production technology for transport biofuels from UK grown crops is mature and this results in a low research spend. Expenditure by this Department in the current financial year amounts to £20,000 on work in support of policy development. Expenditure in the previous four years was nil, although the Department does have a large portfolio of research, costing about £6 million per annum, supporting the primary production of crops such as oilseed rape, wheat and potatoes which have the potential to be used for transport fuel production. It is not possible to separately identify the cost of promotion in respect of biomass energy crops and biofuels. The Department has included generic promotion of non-food crops in its work at agricultural shows. We have also organised and attended a small number of promotional meetings and seminars linked to the development of markets for solid biomass crops. The promotion of biomass crops also takes place through our work in support of the England Rural Development Programme, the Energy Crops Scheme forming one element of that programme.

Biomass Crops

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the amount of carbon saved from 1 million tonnes of biodiesel and bioethanol substituted for the equivalent amount of fossil diesel and petrol; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The replacement of one million tonnes of fossil diesel with biodiesel from oilseed rape would save between 500,000 and 700,000 tonnes of carbon. Research into the production of bioethanol from starch or sugar crops generally indicates that slightly less carbon is saved through replacing petrol with bioethanol when compared with replacing fossil diesel with biodiesel. In the Budget my right hon. Friend the Chancellor confirmed the new duty rate for biodiesel set at 20 pence per litre below the rate for Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel. The Government have also launched a second round of the Green Fuel Challenge inviting bids for pilot projects for biofuels, including bioethanol, which would qualify for duty reductions. The Forum on the Non-Food Uses of Crops is studying the potential of biodiesel and bioethanol. The Government are considering carefully the recommendation of the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food that duty on biofuels should be reduced to the rates applied to other clean fuels.

Biomass Crops

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the amount of carbon saved in each of the last five years by the use of biomass crops grown in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: One hectare of biomass crops yielding the equivalent of eight tonnes per annum has the potential to save about two tonnes of carbon each year. Achieving these carbon savings depends on functioning end markets for the utilisation of biomass crops. Most plantings of purpose grown energy crops have, to date, been to provide fuel for the Arbre biomass power station near Selby which expects to begin full operation later this year. In April the Government launched the Bioenergy Capital Grant Scheme which will develop markets for biomass, including purpose grown energy crops and material from forests, in heat, combined heat and power and electricity generation. Further funding will be available from a Community and Household Capital Grant Scheme which will be launched later this year. Officials are also working closely with the Local Support Teams set up by the Countryside Agency, through the Community Renewables Initiative, to develop markets for renewables.

Agricultural Shows

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the purpose was of the presence of the DEFRA stand at this year's agricultural shows; at which shows it appeared; and how she will assess its effectiveness.

Elliot Morley: The following list shows the venues at which a DEFRA information/exhibition stand has been or will be present.
	The purpose of providing such a stand at these events is to provide information on the interests, responsibilities and activities of the Department. Other issues are covered depending on the location, theme and potential audience.
	The cost-effectiveness of these events is kept under review by assessment of the numbers of visitors to the stand, the number of inquiries and/or requests dealt with and feedback from the show organisers.
	DEFRA information and exhibition stands
	Attendance at agricultural shows: year 2002–03
	Devon County Show
	Royal Bath and West Show
	Northumberland County Show
	Royal Cornwall Show
	South of England Show
	Three Counties Show
	East of England Show
	Lincolnshire Show
	Royal Norfolk Show
	Great Yorkshire Show
	CLA Game Fair
	Royal Lancashire Show
	New Forest and Hampshire Show
	Pig and Poultry Fair
	Grassland 2002
	Beef 2002
	Cereals 2002
	Spray and Sprayers
	Sheep Event
	European Dairy Event
	Royal Smithfield Show
	BBC Gardener's World
	Hampton Court Flower Show
	Tatton Park Flower Show
	Fruit Focus.

Salmon

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the tonnage of farmed salmon in England was in each year since 1990; and what the average size of the fish produced was in each year.

Elliot Morley: Statistics for 1990 and 1991 are not currently available.
	Farmed Atlantic salmon production in England between 1992 and 2001 primarily involves the production of juvenile fish for on-growing in Scottish marine fish farms and for re-stocking rivers. The juvenile fish concerned are fry, parr and smolts which, depending on their stage of growth have an average weight of between 1 gram and 30 grams. Details are as follows:
	
		Juvenile Atlantic salmon production in England—1992 to 2001
		
			   Juvenile fish  
			  Number (millions) Estimated tonnes 
		
		
			 1992 7.2 37 
			 1993 5.7 35 
			 1994 3.6 41 
			 1995 6.8 44 
			 1996 6.0 26 
			 1997 8.6 39 
			 1998 8.6 59 
			 1999 14.4 98 
			 2000 6.8 54 
			 2001 7.6 36 
		
	
	There has also been farming of some six tonnes of adult fish (estimated average weight of three kilos) in the period mainly for broodstock and research purpose.

EU Management Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Committee on the implementation of the Directive establishing a Community policy regarding water is next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: Article 20 of Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy provides that the regulatory committee established by Article 21(1) will assist the Commission in making any necessary technical adaptations to Annexes I, III and section 1.3.6 of Annex V to the directive, and in setting technical specifications and standardised methods for analysis and monitoring of water status. It may also assist the Commission in adopting guidelines on the implementation of Annexes II and V and in setting technical formats for transmission of statistical and cartographic data to the Commission.
	The committee has not yet met, and no meeting has been arranged. However, the committee is due to meet at the latest by 22 December 2002. UK representation is likely to vary according to the agenda for each meeting and may include members of the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations where there are items of sufficient interest.

EU Management Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Management Committees of the common organisations of agricultural markets for dehydrated fodder is next due to meet; what the UK representation is on it; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow), on 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 917W.
	There is no set schedule of meetings for the Management Committee for Dehydrated Fodder. UK representation on this management committee depends on the agenda items under discussion. Officials from the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations attend as necessary in accordance with their interests. However, no representative of the Scottish Executive has attended the Management Committee for Dehydrated Fodder.

EU Management Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the EU Management Committees of the common organisations of agricultural markets for fresh fruit and vegetables are next due to meet; whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow), on 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 912W.
	The next meeting of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Management Committee is scheduled for 16 July 2002. UK representation on this committee depends on the agenda items under discussion. No representative of the Scottish Executive has attended.

EU Management Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of the EU Management Committees of the common organisations of agricultural markets for cereals; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: UK representation on the EU's Cereals Management Committee depends on the agenda items under discussion. Officials from the Scottish Executive and other devolved Administrations attend as necessary in accordance with their interests.

EU Management Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether experts nominated by the Scottish Executive have been members of the EU Committee for the adaptation to scientific and technical progress of the directive on methods of measurement and frequencies of sampling and analysis of surface water intended for the abstraction of drinking water in the member states; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 23 May 2002, Official Report, column 496W. No date has been set for the Committee to meet. UK representation would vary according to the agenda for each meeting and may include members of the Scottish Executive and other devolved administrations where there are items of sufficient interest.

Recycling

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  if she will make a statement about the availability of plastic recycling facilities (a) in England and (b) in Gloucestershire;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to increase plastic recycling facilities; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: The Department does not keep a central record of recycling facilities. However, I understand that two local authorities in Gloucestershire collect plastic for recycling—Gloucester City Council and Stroud District Council. In addition, Stroud District Community Recycling group operates a kerbside collection of materials including plastic.
	We have set statutory performance standards for recycling or composting household waste for each local authority in England. Authorities are required, on average, to double recycling by 2003–04 and triple it by 2005–06. Future targets for local authorities will be even more demanding and many authorities will need to begin collecting plastic for recycling in order to meet these targets. It is up to local authorities to decide how best to meet their recycling standards, depending on local circumstances such as housing type. However, the Government is taking various steps which should help boost plastic recycling and create more facilities.
	Last year the Government set up the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), with £40 million of Government and Devolved Administration funding, to tackle the market barriers to increased recycling. WRAP has identified plastics as a priority area in its business plan to 2003–04 and they intend to award a grant to address the lack of plastics reprocessing infrastructure, which should result in an additional 20,000 tonnes per annum of post- consumer plastic bottles being diverted from the waste stream. New plastic reprocessing facilities will create more demand for local authorities to collect recyclable plastic.
	I recently announced the arrangements for the distribution of the £140 million fund to assist local authorities in meeting their recycling targets. We expect this fund to go towards developing new and existing recycling schemes and in some cases money from the fund may well be used to extend collection schemes to include plastics. We have specifically earmarked a proportion of this funding for tackling more difficult waste streams such as plastic.

Waste Paper Exporters

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was granted to waste paper exporters under the PERN system in each of the last two years.

Michael Meacher: In 2001, PERN revenue to accredited exporters for paper packaging waste was £3.3 million. This compares with PRN revenue to accredited reprocessors for paper packaging waste of £32 million.
	In 2000, PERN revenue to accredited exporters for paper packaging waste was £476,294. This compares with PRN revenue for accredited reprocessors of £15.5 million.

Waste Paper Exporters

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the reasons underlying the Government's use of the packaging export recovery note.

Michael Meacher: Packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) and packaging waste export recovery notes (PERNs) are the main method for businesses obligated under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) to demonstrate compliance with their recovery and recycling obligations. These regulations implement the recovery and recycling targets in the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC which has both environmental and single market objectives.
	Under this directive, businesses with recovery and recycling obligations may carry out that recovery/ recycling either in the UK or elsewhere, subject to the usual rules on the export of waste. In the same way, other countries may have their waste recycled by UK reprocessors.
	The PERN system provides a method for obligated businesses to demonstrate compliance with their obligations when they have recycling carried out overseas. In terms of operation, the PERN system is the same as the PRN system in that those issuing the PERN or PRN are scrutinised by the agency before they can be accredited, the system deters fraud, and allows resources to be directed at investment in the infrastructural development needed to meet targets.

Waste Paper Exporters

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average value was of a packaging export recovery note in each of the last two years.

Michael Meacher: In 2001, the average value of a packaging waste export recovery note (PERN) was, for the different packaging materials, as follows:
	
		£ 
		
			 Material Value 
		
		
			 Aluminium 28 
			 Steel 22 
			 Paper 18 
			 Glass 13 
			 Plastic 24 
		
	
	Overall average per tonne was £20.

Waste Paper Exporters

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the volume of waste paper exports was in each of the last two years under the PERN system.

Michael Meacher: In 2001, 179,439 tonnes of paper packaging waste was exported. In 2000, 59,608 tonnes of paper packaging waste was exported.

Waste Paper Exporters

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received on shortfalls in waste paper and other raw materials necessary for domestic paper mills; and what steps the Government have taken to address them.

Michael Meacher: The Confederation of Paper Industries have written to explain that they are experiencing difficulties in attracting sufficient quantities of paper/ fibreboard packaging waste to UK mills. We are presently discussing this matter with other relevant Government Departments and will be discussing the way forward with the paper industry, with whom we are in regular touch.

Waste Paper Exporters

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many packaging export recovery notes were granted in each of the last two years.

Michael Meacher: In 2001, packaging waste export recovery notes (PERNs) were issued against 425,165 tonnes of packaging waste. In 2000, PERNs were issued against 315,841 tonnes of packaging waste.

Greenhouse Gases

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how large a reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions will be achieved by the current adherents to the Bonn Agreement.

Michael Meacher: The emissions limitation or reduction commitments of developed countries listed in Annexe B to the Kyoto Protocol, excluding the United States and Australia who have said they will not ratify, are equivalent to a reduction in emissions of some 4.7 per cent. below 1990 levels from these countries during the first commitment period, 2008 to 2012. This represents about 1.5 per cent. of global emissions in 1990.

Flora and Fauna

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many plant and animal species have become extinct in the United Kingdom in the last 25 years.

Michael Meacher: The Joint Nature Conservation Committee have advised that over the past 25 years 13 plant and animal species in total have become extinct. However, some species such as the large blue butterfly has been reintroduced successfully.

Flora and Fauna

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) plant and (b) animal species are threatened with extinction in the United Kingdom.

Michael Meacher: My scientific advisers on wildlife issues, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, have advised that there are about 489 plant species (including a significant proportion of rare lower plants) and 1,801 animal species (the majority of which are invertebrates) which are classified as endangered and threatened with the possibility of becoming extinct. The Department's second annual report, reviewing progress towards sustainable development in 2001 states that in 1997 16 per cent. of all invertebrates, 21 per cent. lower plant species and 11 per cent. of all vascular plants in the UK are considered nationally scarce.

Kyoto Protocol

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of the economic cost to the United Kingdom of global warming if the Kyoto Agreement is not fully implemented by all signatory countries.

Michael Meacher: The costs to Annex 1 parties, including the UK, of meeting their emissions reduction and limitation commitments under the Kyoto protocol have been estimated as a reduction of less than 0.7 per cent. of GDP in 2010 according to assessments assessed by the Inter-Government Panel on Climate Change. If countries do not fully implement their commitments, this will have an adverse effect on the scale of the global effort to tackle climate change which could result in greater adverse impacts. Given uncertainties, these are not possible to quantify.

Biodiversity

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect biodiversity in the United Kingdom.

Michael Meacher: The UK biodiversity action plan and subsequent individual action plans for 45 habitat and 391 species set out the measures to be taken to conserve biodiversity in the United Kingdom. The UK biodiversity group report "Sustaining the Variety of Life—5 Years of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan", published in March 2001 detailed progress on the plan and made recommendations for its further implementation. The Government expect to respond to the group's report and recommendations shortly.
	Within the UK framework, responsibility for implementing the UK action plan now lies with the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly. In the Rural White Paper "Our Countryside: the Future—A Fair Deal for Rural England" the Government announced it would prepare a biodiversity strategy for England. Work streams have been established covering the major sectoral policy areas impacting on biodiversity in England including, agriculture, forestry, water and wetlands, marine and coastal, urban and development, and business. In addition, there are workstreams for the cross-cutting themes of education and local and regional action. We expect to publish the strategy later this year.

Sewage

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on an international ban on disposal of sewage at sea.

Michael Meacher: The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73–78) has an Annex on Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships. The UK ratified this Annex in 1995 and we are working to promote its entry into force.
	The UK, other member states and those countries seeking accession to the European Union are, or will be, obliged to implement the requirements of several directives to protect the water and marine environment from land-based sewage discharges.
	For example, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive requires by 2005 at least secondary treatment for all discharges to coastal waters from sewage treatment works serving more than 10,000 inhabitants. In England and Wales this level of treatment will be provided by the same deadline for coastal discharges from treatment works serving more than 2,000 inhabitants.
	Furthermore the UK ceased sea dumping of sewage sludge (a by-product of treatment processes) in 1998 as required by the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. Such dumping is now banned in the north-east Atlantic under the OSPAR Convention. At the global level, the London Convention Protocol 1996 requires that sewage sludge may only be considered for disposal at sea following a detailed waste prevention audit, consideration of other waste management options and assessment of potential environmental impacts. The UK was one of the first countries to ratify the protocol and has been active in promoting its entry into force as soon as possible.

Egg Industry

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulatory impact assessment regarding costs to the egg industry has been made by her Department in the event of enriched cages being phased out before 2012.

Elliot Morley: A partial regulatory impact assessment on the effect of banning enriched cages from 2012 is being prepared and will form part of the public consultation exercise.

Egg Industry

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether enriched cages for the egg industry will be allowed to operate until 2012.

Elliot Morley: Yes. The forthcoming public consultation will be on a proposal to ban enriched cages from 2012.

Egg Industry

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the research will be completed into bird welfare and bird behavioural aspects of enriched cages.

Elliot Morley: Research into systems of production is always ongoing. A specific DEFRA funded project on enriched cages will finish at the end of October 2003.

Egg Industry

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the statement of the Under-Secretary of State, Official Report, Fifth Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation, 12 June 2002, c. 22, on the timescale for the operation of enriched cages if she will make a statement on the phasing out of enriched cages; and when the policy was decided.

Elliot Morley: A public consultation will start shortly on a proposal to ban enriched cages from 2012.

Public Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which of the agencies and NDPBs sponsored by her Department have a regional organisation; and if she will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002.

Elliot Morley: The Agencies and NDPBs sponsored by DEFRA with a regional organisation are listed as follows:
	Food from Britain
	Meat and Livestock Commission
	Milk Development Council
	Sea Fish Industry Authority
	Agricultural Wages Board
	Agricultural Wages Committee
	Regional Flood Defence Committees
	Agricultural Land Tribunals
	British Wool Marketing Board
	British Waterways
	Countryside Agency
	English Nature
	National Forest Co.
	Environment Agency.
	A full listing of the counties and unitary authorities and the history of their generation is given at http: www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/countiesnonmetua.asp

World Food Summit

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what ways the outcome of the recent World Food Summit in Rome will help combat the shortage of food in Southern Africa.

Clare Short: I have been asked to reply.
	I do not consider that the meeting helped materially to combat food shortages in Southern Africa. UN organisations did, however, convene an action-oriented meeting of Governments, NGOs and donors in Johannesburg the previous week to discuss the crisis in the region.

Contaminated Land

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library the results of the monitoring of arsenic, nickel, cadmium and mercury at industrial sites across the United Kingdom that her Department funded; and when she intends to publish the results.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Copies of the report entitled: "Monitoring of Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium, Nickel and Mercury around Industrial Sites" produced by Casella Stanger on behalf of the Department have been placed in the Library. The report was published on 4 September 2001. This report is also available electronically on the Air Quality Archive in the reports database at http://www.airquality.co.uk

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library copies of the responses to her consultation on S.I. 2002–843.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 13 June 2002
	Responses to the consultation on the TSE (England) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002–843) are available from the DEFRA library at Whitehall Place. I will also place them in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

WALES

Oral Questions

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many oral questions he has transferred to other Departments in each of the last 18 months.

Paul Murphy: None.

Correspondence

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many letters have been received by each Minister in his Department since June 1997.

Paul Murphy: The information is contained in the following table.
	
		Letters received
		
			  Secretary of State Under Secretary of State Inter- Departmentals 
		
		
			 July 1999 21 7 360 
			 August 1999 206 68 327 
			 September 1999 174 58 559 
			 October 1999 173 57 636 
			 November 1999 138 46 981 
			 December 1999 115 38 602 
			 January 2000 75 26 870 
			 February 2000 106 35 720 
			 March 2000 102 34 925 
			 April 2000 70 24 592 
			 May 2000 84 28 587 
			 June 2000 72 24 625 
			 July 2000 65 22 620 
			 August 2000 64 22 506 
			 September 2000 49 17 389 
			 October 2000 39 13 540 
			 November 2000 52 17 759 
			 December 2000 13 5 469 
			 January 2001 2 — 405 
			 February 2001 29 4 454 
			 March 2001 34 10 703 
			 April 2001 16 10 368 
			 May 2001 17 4 326 
			 June 2001 11 — 183 
			 July 2001 19 2 546 
			 August 2001 28 1 346 
			 September 2001 25 1 306 
			 October 2001 30 5 581 
			 November 2001 33 2 620 
			 December 2001 13 6 439 
			 January 2002 35 2 340 
			 February 2002 38 1 505 
			 March 2002 30 5 498 
			 April 2002 21 10 517 
			 May 2002 31 11 538 
		
	
	Please note that my Department was established on 1 July 1999.

Advertising Campaigns

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on press and advertising campaigns in 2001–02; and what the planned expenditure is for 2002–03.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 752W.

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas party; and how many people attended.

Paul Murphy: There were two staff parties at Christmas 2001. Both were held outside core hours and neither involved any cost to the public purse.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 will be accounted for by staff costs; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: Running cost information for years up to 2001–02 is given at Annex 3 of the departmental report (Cm 5431). It is too early to provide a dependable forecast for 2002–03.

PRIME MINISTER

Hunting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Prime Minister how many representations he has received in support of hunting with hounds in the last 12 months.

Tony Blair: I have received 4,770 campaign cards and 1,280 letters this year about the issue of hunting. My office has not broken them down into categories.
	All representations to me on this issue since Thursday 21 March have been passed to my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs who will consider them as part of the process he announced to the House.

Special Advisers

Nigel Evans: To ask the Prime Minister how many special advisers he has had since June 1997; and what plans he has to alter the number of special advisers working for him.

Tony Blair: The information requested is as follows:
	June 1997—18
	June 1998—20
	June 1999—23
	June 2000—28
	June 2001—22
	June 2002—27.
	Paragraph 50 of the "Ministerial Code" sets out the rules on numbers of special advisers. I do not anticipate any significant change in the numbers of special advisers in my office.

Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister what changes have taken place to the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Green Ministers as a result of the governmental reorganisation; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hornchurch (John Cryer) on 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 722W.

Mr. Alastair Campbell

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister whether Mr. Alastair Campbell is the accounting officer for the Central Office of Information.

Tony Blair: No. The chief executive of the Central Office of Information is the accounting officer.

Mr. Alastair Campbell

Tim Collins: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on recent changes in the role of Mr. Alastair Campbell.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1448W.

Balkans

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 24 June 2002, on the Seville European Council, if he will itemise the assistance the EU has given to the Balkans to which he was referring in his reply to the hon. Member for Linlithgow.

Tony Blair: Between 1990 and 2000, the UK provided £74 million of bilateral assistance for reconstruction and development in the Balkans. This was in addition to the £1.7 billion provided by the EC, to which we contributed £330 million. Together with the £3 billion provided by the remaining EU member states, this amounts to a total EU contribution of £4.8 billion. Since 2000, up to the present date, the EC has committed a further £1.2 billion. In addition, we have allocated £40.6 million as a bilateral assistance since 2000.
	The EU has also offered generous trade preferences. These allow tariff free access into EU markets for 95 per cent. of industrial and agricultural products.

Dublin Convention

Roger Gale: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for North Thanet on 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 627, if he will indicate which article in the Dublin Convention supersedes the Sangatte Protocol; and if this assertion has been tested in law.

Tony Blair: An agreement was signed with France dated 20 April 1995 in relation to the taking back of passengers who are refused admission on arrival in the UK ("the 1995 Agreement").
	That agreement covers, among other things, the arrival of asylum seekers through the channel tunnel and therefore has the effect of qualifying the relevant provisions of the Sangatte Protocol of 25 November 1991.
	The 1995 Agreement provided that, in relation to asylum seekers, it would be superseded by the relevant provisions of the Dublin Convention once that Convention entered into force. The Dublin Convention came into force on 1 September 1997. Therefore from that date, in relation to those claiming asylum, the provisions of the Dublin Convention prevail in so far as that Convention determines which state is responsible for deciding the claim.
	We are not aware that this issue has ever been litigated.

Departmental Responsibilities

Michael Howard: To ask the Prime Minister which officials within his Office have responsibility for strategy on the single currency and related issues; and what their remit is.

Tony Blair: Work on European Policy in my Office is headed by Sir Stephen Wall, working with other officials as necessary.

Rail Journeys

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister what railway journeys he has taken, on official business, since 1997.

Tony Blair: I last travelled by train on 1 June from Kings Cross to Darlington. I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements and will continue to use the railway service regularly when appropriate. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers.

Official Visits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) prisons which he has visited, with dates, since 1997.

Tony Blair: Records of official visits are not held in this manner and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I have undertaken a range of visits to schools, hospitals, universities, police stations, and visited a prison last year.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Youth Unemployment

Phil Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effect the new deal has had on youth unemployment.

Nick Brown: Since 1997 youth unemployment has fallen by more than 40 per cent. to around its lowest level since the mid-1970s, and long-term youth unemployment has been virtually eradicated.
	The New Deal for Young People has played an important part in this success. Up to March 2002 the programme had helped over 360,000 young people off benefit and into work. Independent research has found that, without the New Deal, long-term youth unemployment would have been about twice as high.
	In my hon. Friend's constituency, nearly 400 young people have moved into jobs through the New Deal.

Carers

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances payments to carers for reimbursement of expenses for attending meetings are disregarded for benefit purposes.

Maria Eagle: All reasonable expenses incurred by a volunteer as a direct result of volunteering are disregarded.
	A volunteer is defined as someone who performs a service and does not expect or receive payment other than expenses.

Disabled People

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new deal for disabled people.

Nick Brown: The new deal for disabled people is the first national employment programme to help people with disabilities move into and keep jobs, and is using innovative ways of helping them to achieve their full potential through work.
	It is too early to make an assessment of the success of the programme. As new deal for disabled people progresses a comprehensive programme of evaluation will measure its effectiveness. This will include qualitative and quantitative research with all key stakeholders. A report of this evaluation will be published.

Action Team for Jobs

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what impact the action team for jobs initiative is having in severely economically deprived areas.

Nick Brown: Action teams are having a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged people in the most economically deprived areas of the country. By the end of May they had helped over 34,000 people move into work. An early evaluation study also found that 80 per cent. of these jobs were sustained jobs.
	The team working in my hon. Friend's constituency has helped over 320 jobless people into work since October 2001 and, last year, contributed £100,000 towards a new child care unit in the area.

Funded Pension Schemes

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he will make a statement on his long-term plans for pensions policy if the present rate of take-up of funded pensions continues.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave today to the right hon. Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack) at column 18.

Jobseeker's Allowance

James Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance take up appropriate job offers.

Malcolm Wicks: It is a fundamental principle of our welfare reform programme to match rights with responsibilities.
	For our part we are engaging actively with jobless people to provide them with employment opportunities. For example, our new deals for young people and 25 plus have already helped over 460,000 people to work—450 in my hon. Friend's constituency. And we plan to rollout a further 225 new jobcentre plus offices by spring of next year delivering a single, integrated service to people of working age, with a clear focus on work.
	In return, we expect jobless people to take up these opportunities. For the minority who choose not to participate in the new deal, or who fail to take up suitable job offers, we have a rigorous sanctions regime to reduce or suspend their jobseeker's allowance. During 2001–02, just over 38,000 people were subject to a Jobseeker's Allowance sanction for refusing to take up an offer of employment.

Employment Zones

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of employment zones in reducing unemployment.

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of employment zones in reducing unemployment levels.

Nick Brown: Employment Zones are one of a range of initiatives we have introduced to help people move into work.
	The performance of the 15 Employment Zones is encouraging. By February this year they had helped over 22,000 long-term unemployed people from some of the country's most deprived areas into work.
	We are currently evaluating the Zones and the results of this will feed into their ongoing improvement.

Private Pensions

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to simplify the administration of private pensions.

Ian McCartney: We are continually looking for ways to improve the pension system. As the hon. Lady will know, we have already made good headway in improving access to private pensions. For exmple, we have introduced stakeholder pensions which are a straightforward way for people to save for their retirement. So far, over 800,000 stakeholder pensions have been sold. We have also improved the way the minimum funding requirement operates in advance of its replacement.
	But, of course we can do more. The current pensions regime is too complicated and that is in no-one's interest. So the Government have commissioned a number of reviews to look for ways of simplifying and improving pension provision and regulation. The Pickering review is looking at how we can cut red tape whilst making sure that scheme members are properly protected. Linked to this is the Quinquennial review of the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (Opra) which is looking at how we can ensure that the regulatory rules we put in place are clearly understood by those who need to administer them and are well policed to ensure increased security and confidence. In addition, there is the Sandler review which is looking at how the commercial retail savings market might be made to operate more effectively and efficiently, to the benefit of consumers. The Inland Revenue is also carrying out a review of the tax treatment of occupational pensions and they will consult on proposals later in the year.
	The Sandler and Pickering reviews will be published in the next few weeks with the Opra review publishing later in the year. We will consider the proposals in these reports once they are published as part of our deliberations on how best to simplify the administration of private pensions.

Private Pensions

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of private pension provision in the working population; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to extend private pension provision in the UK.

Ian McCartney: The introduction of stakeholder pensions has extended access of private pension provision. It is clear, however, that individuals are not saving enough and more action is needed. We have already made clear the Government's recognition of the importance of this issue and the actions we are taking to address is.
	We have already extended access to private pensions in the UK with the introduction of stakeholder pensions and the requirement of employers to designate a scheme. Around 322,000 employes have already designated a stakeholder scheme and over 800,000 stakeholders have been sold. We are removing the disincentive to save for retirement that existed in the Social Security system with the introduction of the Pension Credit. We are also ensuring that individuals have the right information to make informed choices through the introduction of combined pensions forecasts, money purchase illustrations and our ongoing pensions education campaign.
	There is a need to ensure that the regulatory system for pensions is appropriate and not unnecessarily complicated and that the retail savings market operates as it should. That is why we commissioned Alan Pickering to review pensions regulation and Ron Sandler to review the retail savings market. Both of these reviews are due to report shortly and we will respond to any proposals in the Autumn.

Jobcentre Plus

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what types of personal advice users of Jobcentre Plus are entitled to receive.

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are receiving services from Jobcentre Plus.

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to make jobcentres more responsive to the needs of those who are out of work.

Nick Brown: In April this year we created Jobcentre Plus to bring together the Employment Service and the working age functions of the Benefits Agency. Jobcentre Plus provides a work focused service to all benefit claimants of working age, providing services to around five million people. Jobcentre Plus aims to deliver further improvements in customer service throughout its entire network of jobcentres and social security offices.
	Jobcentre Plus provides a full range of advice on employment and training opportunities combined with comprehensive benefit advice. This advice is tailored to the individual needs of the people using the service and will help them to move from welfare to work while ensuring they have the support they need while doing so.
	56 new Jobcentre Plus offices are already providing the fully integrated and work-focused service which we will extend progressively to cover the whole of Great Britain over the next four years. We have already announced that we plan to open around 225 more integrated offices by April 2003. As part of this upgrade to the service, everyone of working age who is making a new or repeat claim for benefit in these offices will participate in a work-focused interview with a Personal Adviser and be offered their continuing support.

Jobcentre Plus

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit offices are Jobcentre Plus offices; and when it is expected to complete the changeover.

Nick Brown: In April this year we created Jobcentre Plus to bring together the Employment Service and the working age functions of the Benefits Agency. Jobcentre Plus provides a work focused service to all benefit claimants of working age, providing services to around five million people.
	56 new Jobcentre Plus offices are already providing the fully integrated and work-focused service which we will extend progressively to cover the whole of Great Britain over the next four years. We have already announced that we plan to open around 225 more integrated offices by April 2003.

Final Salary Pensions

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to assist employers administering final salary pension schemes.

Ian McCartney: The Pickering Review of pensions regulation is looking at ways of simplifying the regulatory regime for pensions, in order to lessen the administrative burden on employers providing occupational pension schemes, including final salary schemes. This review is due to report in the next few weeks and we intend to respond to it in the Autumn. In addition, the Inland Revenue are undertaking a review of pensions taxation which is due to report later this year.

Final Salary Pensions

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on final salary pension schemes.

Ian McCartney: Final salary schemes have provided good pension provision for many individuals. They have been in decline since the 1960s and recently there has been an increase in the number of final salary schemes closing to new members. The reasons for this are complex, in particular that people are living longer which increases scheme liabilities, and that investment returns have been lower than in the past.
	What is required is a regime that allows sustainable pension provision. It is Government's role to ensure that the right framework is in place. That is why we commissioned the review of pensions regulation by Alan Pickering that is due to report in the summer.

Biometric Benefit Entitlement Cards

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce biometric benefit entitlement cards.

Malcolm Wicks: This Department has no plans to introduce biometric benefit entitlement cards.

Pension Service

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Pension Service in meeting the needs of all pensioners.

Ian McCartney: It is very early days yet but we are committed to making a real difference to the lives of pensioners.
	The Pension Service, formally launched on 1 April 2002, will provide a modern, efficient and customer focused service, dedicated to combating poverty and encouraging saving for both today's and future pensioners.
	It will comprise centralised pension centres working with an improved local service nationwide which will operate in the community working with local partners to provide face to face contact for pensioners. To date ten pension centres are starting to establish themselves along call-centre lines as planned.
	A key aim of The Pension Service is to provide an excellent customer service by making use of the advances in new technology. This will be done through our call-centres. Customers can access us easily through a simple range of telephone numbers, and can get their claims and queries dealt with quickly by trained experts who understand state pensions and the needs of their customers.
	We fully recognise that not everyone can access the service using the telephone, post or internet—and for those customers there will be a community based local service.
	On current planning assumptions the local service is being introduced on a phased basis and should be in place nationwide by October 2002. It will be made up of two key elements. A direct local service, providing support directly to customers which will include a targeted visiting service both in the home and at third party locations, and a 'drop in' surgery service for outreach and take up activities; and partnership services provided with partners such as local authorities and voluntary sector organisations.
	The Pension Service sees a key shift in emphasis from processes to people: their needs, what they want and the way they want it delivered. This improved service will be rolled out over the next few years. In the interim, our customers will continue to deal with their existing social security offices until they are contacted in writing about the new arrangements.

Workplace Training

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what he is doing to encourage an increase in labour force skills by means of workplace training.

Nick Brown: We offer a range of work- based training opportunities to ensure that long-term unemployed and economically inactive people have the skills and experience they need to find and remain in work.
	Work-based training is an important element in the New Deals and the Work-Based Learning for Adults programme. These offer participants real work experience with employers and the opportunity to develop job- related skills.
	We are working closely with employers to ensure that their skill needs are met. For example, we are introducing Ambition programmes to enable people to gain the right skills through work experience and undertaking training designed by employers. Ambition programmes will engage with key sectors such as construction, retail, information technology and energy.
	We, and colleagues at the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Trade and Industry, have asked the Regional Development Agencies to lead in the development of the Framework for Regional Employment & Skills Action (FRESA). This strategic partnership of organisations includes Jobcentre Plus, the CBI, the TUC, the Learning and Skills Council and local authorities. FRESAs will promote a collaborative, proactive approach to employment and skills in regions. They will give a clear focus to what is needed to ensure that each region has a wide range of job opportunities and a workforce with the skills employers require.

Child Benefit

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to change the entitlements to child benefit.

Malcolm Wicks: As a consequence of the introduction of the Child Tax Credit and the transfer of the administration of Child Benefit to the Inland Revenue from April 2003, there are minor changes to the entitlement conditions of Child Benefit contained in the Tax Credit Bill currently before Parliament.

New Deal 50 Plus

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new deal 50 plus.

Nick Brown: New deal 50 plus has been subject to a comprehensive programme of evaluation, including quantitative surveys and qualitative research. A number of research reports have been published, the most recent of which is a summary report published in December 2001 (Atkinson, J. Evaluation of the new deal 50 plus: Summary Report. ESR103, December 2001). Copies of the reports can be found in the Library.
	Research findings show generally positive views about the programme from both clients and staff. The key element of the programme is seen to be the tax-free earnings top-up (Employment Credit). It has been successful in moving a high proportion of clients from benefits into employment. By the end of April 2002, nearly 70,000 people had claimed the Employment Credit.

Pensions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 16 May 2002, Official Report, column 849W, on pensions, what the average amount contributed to pension in 2001 was for each member covered by a funded pension arrangement; and if he will make a statement on his assessment of the adequacy of this amount;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 16 May 2002, Official Report, column 849W, on pensions, if the figures in Table 1 exclude contributions to unfunded occupational pension arrangements; and if the number of members in Table 3 includes members of unfunded occupational pension arrangements.

Ian McCartney: Contributions to unfunded occupational pensions are excluded.
	It is not possible to calculate reliably average contribution amounts per person. This is because relevant figures are not available from comparable data sources.
	In my written answer to the hon. Member, 16 May 2002, Official Report, column 849W, I provided estimates of contributions to private pensions. These figures contained some transfers, as indicated in footnote 6 to table 1. But footnote 6 also stated 'Information on the amount of these transfers is not available.' However I am now advised by ONS that information on transfers is derivable and could be significant. The ONS are examining urgently the basis on which such figures could be reliably produced and published.
	My answer of 16 May used figures published in ONS's MQ5 publication to estimate contributions to private pensions. Such contributions can also be estimated by using Inland Revenue figures on tax relief given on pension contributions and the average rates of this tax relief. My hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury has provided details today in answer to a question from the hon. Member. The implication of the published Inland Revenue series is of a clear increase in the rate of contributions.
	However, the statistical breakdown of figures relating to private pensions produced by either method is complex. ONS are carrying out an investigation to establish the best way to calculate and present such figures as a matter of priority. This work will include external experts. Until it concludes, estimates of the level of pension contributions will need to be treated with particular care.

Benefit Fraud/Error

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 12 March 2002, Official Report, column 859–60 ref 39869, 
	(1)  how many cases of benefit fraud and claimant error there were in each of the relevant benefits in each year since 1995;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the number of cases of (a) fraud, (b) customer error and (c) official error in respect of (i) income support and (ii) jobseeker's allowance for 1999–2000 and 2000–01.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not possible to provide a breakdown of how many cases of benefit fraud and claimant error there were in each of the relevant benefits in each year since 1995. However, since 1999, fraud investigators have recorded the number of cases where benefit ceases, or a change in benefit occurs, following an investigation. These figures include both fraud and customer error cases (as well as a very small number of cases where an underpayment is discovered) but it is not possible to provide a breakdown. The figures, which cover investigations across all benefits administered by the Department, are in the table.
	
		Number of cases where benefit rate changes following action by a fraud investigator
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 198,467 
			 2000–01 182,569 
		
	
	Comparable figures are not available before 1999.
	Separately, by means of the continuous Area Benefit Review/Quality Support Team exercise, the Department is able to provide estimates of the total number of cases of fraud, customer error and official error at any one time in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance. Figures are given in the table below. There is a degree of overlap inherent in the sampling process between the estimates of numbers of customer error and official error in these figures, caused in part by the measurement methodology. These figures therefore cannot be added together, as the resulting figure would include double counting. This overlap had no impact on the final published results for the estimated overall value of monetary loss as analysts made compensatory adjustments, reducing the figures by around 1 per cent. of expenditure.
	The average levels of monetary loss in cases of customer and official error are lower than those in fraud cases, as shown in the table.
	
		Estimate of number of cases of fraud and error and average weekly incorrectness in Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance
		
			 1999–2000 Data Fraud Average value of incorrectness per week £ Customer error Average value of incorrectness per week £ Official error Average value of incorrectness per week £ 
		
		
			 Income Support 216,000 51 301,000 13 493,000 18 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 120,000 44 32,000 17 125,000 27 
			 2000–2001 Data   
			 Income Support 204,000 55 296,000 14 476,000 17 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 86,000 47 20,000 15 86,000 25 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The average values represent the average weekly value of fraud or error (overpayment and underpayment) for cases where there is fraud or error (not average error per case on the live load).
	2. Figures are presented as weekly values of incorrectness because the total value of an error over all the weeks it lasted is not available.
	3. The figures are estimates based on samples, and as such are subject to sampling error; none of the changes between 1999–2000 and 2000–01 are statistically significant.
	4. The figures for fraud, customer error and official error cannot be added together. They apply to different groups of cases, and in the case of official error, there is overlap with customer error in the definition of error.
	Source
	Area Benefit Review/Quality Support Team.

Benefit Fraud/Error

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government have spent on advertising (a) the Targeting Fraud Hotline and (b) other campaigns to report benefit fraud in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Wicks: There is no Targeting Fraud Hotline. The information available on the amount spent on advertising the National Benefit Fraud Hotline is in the table.
	
		£ 
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 1996–97 476,000 
			 1997–98 225,000 
			 1998–99 290,247 
			 1999–2000 337,672 
			 2000–01 425,178 
			 2001–02 0 
			 2002–03 0 to date 
		
	
	The Targeting Fraud campaign is part of our long-term strategy to reinforce our message that benefit fraud is wrong, unfair and will not be tolerated. Expenditure on the pilot phase of the campaign was £2.2 million spanning the financial years 1999–2000 and 2000–01. The success of the pilot campaign led to the launch of the national Targeting Fraud campaign. The initial spell of advertising in March 2001 cost £4.6 million and £8.9 million was spent on the campaign running from September 2001 to March 2002.
	Information is not available on the amount spent on other advertising campaigns prior to 1997.

Departmental Helplines

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the targets for each of his Department's telephone helplines, with performance figures for each helpline for the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Brown: The table shows the performance of the Department's telephone helplines against their internal performance targets for the last year for which figures are available (to March 2002 except where otherwise indicated).
	Most lines are expected to answer a set percentage of calls within a specified number of seconds and this is the measure given in the table; but some operate different targets and, where applicable, this is shown in the notes.
	
		
			  Target Performance 
			 Telephone helplines Percentage calls Seconds Percentage 
		
		
			 Jobcentre Plus Chief Executive's helpline (formerly BA and ES CE helplines) 100 20 100 
			 
			 Job Seeker Direct (formerly ES Direct) 95 20 86.7 
			 
			 CSA National Enquiry Line and Client Helplines 85 (34)— 92.4 
			  20 (35)— 10 
			 
			 National Benefit Fraud Hotline 99 (36)— 96 
			 
			 Disability Living Allowance Customer Care helpline 90 30 18 
			 
			 Retirement Pensions Teleclaim Line 90 30 57 
			 Pensions Direct 90 30 58 
			 
			 Customer Liaison Team (formerly Overseas Customer Service helpline) 95 30 91 
			 
			 MIG (Minimum Income Guarantee) Claimline 90 30 98 
			 
			 Retirement Pension Forecasting and Advice (RPFA) 90 30 66 
			 
			 Public Enquiry Office 65 (37)— 60 
			 
			 Employer Direct
			 Answered 80 20 (38)— 
			 Abandoned 5 (39)— (38)— 
			 
			 Child Benefit Enquiry Line 100 5 rings (40)100 
			  90 (41)— 90.3 
			 Benefit Enquiry Line (BEL)
			 Answered 85 60 88.4 
			 Ineffective 20 max. (42)— 12.8 
			 
			 New Deal Information Line 85 (34),(43)— 89.1 
			 
			 New Deal for Disabled People 85 (34),(43)— 79 
			 
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 85 (34),(43)— 87.9 
			 
			 The Publicity Register 85 (34),(43)— 96.1 
			 
			 Inherited SERPS Enquiry Line (BroadSystems)(44) 85 (34),(43)— 93.0 
			 
			 Pensioner Guide Orderline 85 (34),(43)— 95.2 
			 
			 Winter fuel Helpline 85 (34),(43)— 90.1 
			 
			 Pensions Information Line 85 (34),(43)— (38)— 
			 
			 Welfare Reform Orderline 85 (34),(43)— 98.2 
		
	
	(34) 85 per cent. of calls to be answered first time ie where the customer gets through on the first attempt without having to ring back again.
	(35) No more than 20 per cent. of calls to be abandoned (abandoned calls are those where the customer hangs up before getting a reply).
	(36) 99 per cent. of calls offered (that is those reaching the switchboard) are to be answered within three seconds. A facility administered by an outside organisation is available to take overflow calls.
	(37) 65 per cent. of all calls are to be answered.
	(38) These are new services for which a full year's data are not yet available.
	(39) No more than 5 per cent. of calls are to be abandoned after 20 seconds.
	(40) Calls automatically answered after three rings.
	(41) To be answered.
	(42) No more than 80 per cent. of calls should be ineffective (ineffective calls are those that receive the engaged tone, receive a network message from BT or are abandoned).
	(43) These centres are administered by outside organisations. In addition to the numbers of calls answered first time, they have to be answered within an average of 10 seconds.
	(44) Line outsourced to another provider from 7 March 2002.

Child Poverty

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contribution increases in child benefit have made to reducing the numbers of children living in poverty over the past five years.

Malcolm Wicks: Child poverty and social exclusion are complex, multi-dimensional concepts, affecting many aspects of children's lives. The third opportunity for all report (Cm 5260) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling child poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to monitor progress against this strategy.
	As part of this strategy, since 1997 there have been significant increases in child benefit—the rate for the first child has increased by over 25 per cent. in real terms.

Computers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many computers were replaced in his Department in each of the past three years; how the replaced units were disposed of and by which companies; and at what cost.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department for Work and Pensions is a new Department formed in June 2001. The new Department encompasses the former DSS (and its Executive Agencies) and the former Employment Service (ES). While the new Department is currently converging the IT infrastructure of these two former Departments, the information requested is shown against the relevant Department which originally purchased the equipment. Employment Service (ES)
	On 1 August 1998 the Employment Service (ES) entered into a partnership agreement with EDS (Electronic Data Systems) for provision of all IT and Telephony services. This included the replacement of 41,000 desktop computers during the period October 2000 to March 2002. The replaced units were donated by EDS to Paces, a charitable organisation based in Sheffield. The cost of disposal cannot be separately identified as this formed an integral part of a commercial agreement to provide new equipment.
	Department of Social Security (DSS)
	As part of the Government's modernisation agenda, the Early Office Infrastructure (EOI) Project is currently in the process of implementing in excess of 100,000 PCs across the former DSS estate. The vast majority of computers being provided are replacing dumb terminals with no commercial value. Rollout of computers commenced in August 2001 and is due to be complete by December 2002. Approximately 60,000 computers have been deployed in this period. Disposal of IT equipment is handled by the Ministry of Defence Disposal Services Agency.
	Prior to the commencement of the EOI Project, ICL Multi-Vendor Computing disposed of computers in the former DSS. The contract allowed ICL to dispose of Computers at no cost to the Department, unless the contractor could demonstrate that the cost of disposal exceeded revenue generated by resale. Details of computers purchased in this period are shown in the table:
	
		
			  Year  
		
		
			 1999–2000 20,270 
			 2000–01 5,825 
			 2001–02 3,748

Child Support

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to allow the Child Support Agency to impose deduction from earnings orders on service personnel; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: None.

Child Support

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review the Child Support (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 with regard to service personnel; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: None.

Antisocial Tenants

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the proposal to give local authorities the power to reduce housing benefit for antisocial tenants; and if he will place related correspondence in the Library.

Malcolm Wicks: The idea of withholding people's housing benefit if their behaviour is persistently anti-social was raised in a Bill put before this House by my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field).
	We believe in the principle that rights should be matched by responsibilities and support the underlying objectives of the Bill. We are currently considering how the Bill could be put into a workable format.
	We have received some representations about the Bill. However, it would be inappropriate to publish the few letters received, as they are not in response to public consultation.

Verification Framework

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas) of 15 April 2002, Official Report, column 699W, if he will provide a breakdown for the estimated figure of £100 million of net savings from the introduction of the verification framework.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Estimated net annual savings in benefit expenditure from the verification framework at January 2002 compliance levels -- £ million
		
			  Overpayments Underpayments Net savings 
		
		
			 New claims 40 0 40 
			 Renewal claims 53 20 33 
			 Visits 33 6 27 
			  
			 Total 126 26 100 
		
	
	Source:
	Analytical Services Division analysis

Basic State Pension

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what would be the value of the basic pension for (a) a single pensioner and (b) married couple (i) if the link to average earnings or prices had not been repealed and (ii) if the pension had been increased in line with average earnings since then.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is set out in the table. Our priority is to ensure that all pensioners have a decent and secure income in retirement and to share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country. The basic state pension will remain the foundation of income in retirement. To achieve this, we have increased the basic state pension over the last two years above the level of RPI and we have provided extra help for pensioners through the minimum income guarantee, winter fuel payments and free TV licences for the over-75s. We have given a guarantee that the basic state pension will be increased by at least £100 a year for single pensioners and £160 for couples in 2003–04 and in future years by 2.5 per cent. or the increase in the September retail prices index, whichever is the higher.
	Compared with the 1997 system, an average pensioner household will be £840 a year better off and around 1.8 million of the poorest pensioner households will be over £1,000 a year better off, and the Government will be spending an extra £6 billion a year in real terms on pensioners this year. This £6 billion includes £2.5 billion more on the poorest third of pensioners, which is three times more than an earnings link since 1998 would have given them.
	
		£ per week 
		
			  Single Couple 
		
		
			 Basic state pension at November 1979 23.30 37.30 
			 Actual amount in April 2002 75.50 120.70 
			 Amount in April 2002 if up-rated by higher of RPI/earnings 105.70 169.00 
			 Amount in April 2002 if up-rated with average earnings 102.60 164.20 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Rates are taken from November 1979 as the earnings link was broken in November 1980.
	2. The retail prices index (all items) has been used as published by the Office for National Statistics.
	3. Average Earnings Index Whole Economy (non-seasonally adjusted) has been used as published by the Office for National Statistics.
	4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five pence at each uprating.
	Source:
	Information Centre, Analytical Services Directorate

Alignment Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many alignment payments were awarded in each of the last 10 years; what the expenditure on alignment payments was in each of those years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Social Fund alignment payments provide valuable help to people awaiting their first payment of wages on taking up work. They can also help people with essential day-to-day living expenses in advance of their first payment of benefit.
	The information is in the table.
	
		Social Fund crisis loan alignment payments
		
			 Year Number of payments Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 1992–93 226,737 9 
			 1993–94 273,171 11 
			 1994–95 326,864 13 
			 1995–96 366,865 14 
			 1996–97 (45)344,737 14 
			 1997–98 (45)398,731 17 
			 1998–99 (45)433,851 20 
			 1999–2000 474,076 23 
			 2000–01 476,936 24 
			 2001–02 486,031 27 
		
	
	(45) Technical problems with Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System mean that figures for the years 1996–97 to 1998–99 may be subject to a margin of error of 5 per cent to 10 per cent. and should therefore be treated as a guide only.
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £ million.
	2. Awards including alignment payments may include other items.
	Source:
	Annual Reports by the Secretary of State on the Social Fund 1992–93 to 2000–01 and Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Carers Allowance

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether persons over 65 who are to receive carers allowance will receive it in addition to their pensions.

Maria Eagle: Retirement pension (RP) and invalid care allowance (ICA) are income maintenance benefits. The former provides income replacement for those who have reached pensionable age, while the latter provides a measure of financial support for those who have given up the opportunity of full-time paid employment in order to care for a severely disabled person. It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one such benefit can be paid at any time because to pay both of them in full at the same time would amount to duplicate provision for the same need.
	The Regulatory Reform (Carer's Allowance) Order 2002, made on 29 May 2002, will enable older carers with little or no retirement pension to receive invalid care allowance, while those with low incomes will benefit by gaining access to the carer premium worth £24.80 a week, paid with income-related benefits such as the minimum income guarantee. This follows the substantial increases to the carer premium and to the earnings limit for entitlement to invalid care allowance made in April 2001.
	There are no plans to change these arrangements.

Disability Living Allowance

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applicants for DLA were (a) granted on first application, (b) rejected on first application and did not appeal, (c) granted on appeal and (d) rejected on appeal in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information is in the following tables.
	
		Outcomes of first applications for disability living allowance in each of the last five years
		
			 Year Successful applications Unsuccessful applications(46) 
		
		
			 1997–98 211,200 255,700 
			 1998–99 175,600 208,200 
			 1999–2000 181,000 190,400 
			 2000–01 211,300 206,100 
			 2001–02(47) 171,200 158,000 
		
	
	(46) Figures represent total number of unsuccessful applications; information is not available on how many did not appeal.
	(47) Figures are for nine months to 1 December 2001
	Source:
	Analytical Services Division Information Centre; 5 per cent. data rounded to nearest 100.
	
		Awards of disability living allowance made on review or appeal in each of the last five years(48)
		
			 Year(49) Awards made on review(50) Awards made on appeal 
		
		
			 1997–98 37,700 13,100 
			 1998–99 27,000 15,400 
			 1999–2000 24,800 15,500 
			 2000–01 16,600 (51)25,900 
			 2001–02 10,400 24,200 
		
	
	(48) A claim for DLA which is unsuccessful in one year may not be reviewed or go to appeal until the next year, so the tables are not directly comparable.
	(49) Figures relate to 12 month periods to the end of February
	(50) Figures include reconsiderations under the new system of decision making and appeals introduced from October 1999
	(51) The numbers of appeals increased substantially after the introduction of the new system of decision making and appeals
	Source:
	Analytical Services Division Information Centre; 5 per cent. data rounded to nearest 100.
	Discrete figures are not available for unsuccessful appeals involving first applications for DLA.

West Pilton Post Office

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when officials at the Benefits Agency were first informed of suspected fraud at West Pilton post office in Edinburgh;
	(2)  when officials at the Benefits Agency expect to conclude their investigations into suspected fraud at West Pilton post office in Edinburgh;
	(3)  what allegations led officials at the Benefits Agency to investigate fraud at West Pilton post office in Edinburgh.

Malcolm Wicks: In line with part 2 paragraph 4 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information we do not discuss information about on-going investigations.

Lone Parents

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how work is defined in relation to the target of getting 70 per cent. of lone parents into work.

Nick Brown: The lone parent employment rate is calculated using the Labour Force Survey (LFS) definition of employment. This definition includes anyone aged 16 or over who does at least one hour's paid work in the week prior to their LFS interview, or who has a job that they are temporarily away from (for example because they are on holiday). Also included are people who do unpaid work in a family business and people on Government-supported employment training schemes, in line with ILO definitions.

Criminal Offences

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner), of 20 May 2002, Official Report, column 46W, on criminal offences, which offences have been (a) created, (b) abolished and (c) redrafted.

Malcolm Wicks: Sections 13 and 14 of the Social Security Administration (Fraud) Act 1997 created six new offences (four triable in the Crown court or magistrates court and two offences triable in the magistrates court) by adding new sections 112(1A) and 111A(c) and (d) to the Social Security Administration Act 1992. Section 13 of the Child Support Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 creates three new offences relating to information required to be furnished to a child support officer.
	The offences in sections 112A and 111A(c) and (d) were redrafted and substituted for the previous ones by the Social Security (Fraud) Act 2001 because of difficulty in drafting linked regulations sufficiently precisely to be workable. Section 19 of the Social Security (Fraud) Act repeals the previous provisions.
	New offences created by the Jobseekers Act 1995 were brought within the scope of the offences in the 1992 Act and the original provisions were consequentially repealed by schedule 1 para 4 and schedule 2 to the 1997 SSA (Fraud) Act.

Benefits (Scotland)

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 13 June 2002, Official Report, column 1422W on benefits, how many people in Scotland are in receipt of (a) income support, broken down by parliamentary constituency and (b) council tax benefit and housing benefit, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information has been placed in the Library.

National Insurance (Reduced Rate)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the contributory benefits to which married women paying the reduced rate of national insurance contributions would have been entitled to in each year since 1972.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Paymaster General on 10 June 2002, Official Report, columns 838–39W.

Widows and Widowers' Benefits

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that widows and widowers are informed of their entitlement to widows and widowers' benefits.

Malcolm Wicks: We recognise that at the time of a spouse's death it is important for a bereaved person to know about the full range of benefits that he or she may be entitled to.
	Information about benefits that may be claimed is made available in a variety of ways. In the case of bereavement benefits, since March 2001 the Department has issued leaflets to doctors' surgeries, post offices and support organisations. Articles explaining the new benefits were placed in a variety of magazines prior to their introduction in April 2001. As with other benefits, information and a claim form can also be accessed through a number of Government internet sites.

TRANSPORT

Ministerial Salaries

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual cost was of ministerial salaries in his Department in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 2001–02.

David Jamieson: The level of ministerial salaries are recommended by the Senior Salaries Review Body. From May 1997, in the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions there were two Cabinet Ministers, at an annual salary of £43,991; three Ministers of State, at an annual salary of £31,125; and four Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, at an annual salary of £23,623. From June 2001, in the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions there was one Cabinet Minister, at an annual salary of £68,157; three Ministers of State, at an annual salary of £35,356 and three Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State, at an annual salary of £26,835.

Advertising

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on press and advertising campaigns in 2001–02; and what the planned expenditure is for 2002–03.

David Jamieson: Details of media expenditure incurred by the then DTLR on press and advertising campaigns for the period 2001–02, together with planned expenditure by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Transport for the period 2002–03, is:
	
		
			 Expenditure Advertising—media spend (£ million) 
		
		
			 2001–02 13.85 
			 2002–03(52) 9.2 
		
	
	(52) Estimated
	Of the 13.85 million spent last year most expenditure was on safety campaigns with £8.6 million spent on road safety and £2.25 million on fire safety. £1.2 million was also spent on promoting travel line.

Transport Costs

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the cost of (a) rail, (b) bus and (c) car travel in (i) large cities, (ii) other towns and cities and (iii) rural areas in pounds per kilometre in (A) 1997 and (B) 2001.

John Spellar: The estimated average cost per passenger for travel per kilometre by rail, bus and car is as follows:
	
		£ 
		
			   1996–97 2000–01 
		
		
			 (a) Rail   
			 London Underground 0.13 0.15 
			 National Rail 0.08 0.09 
			
			 (b) Bus   
			 London buses 0.13 0.14 
			 English met area buses 0.12 0.13 
			 English shire buses 0.14 0.17 
			 (c) Car   
			 All motoring(53) 0.10 0.14 
		
	
	(53) Includes expenditure on purchase of vehicles spares, repairs, insurance, taxation, fuel, parking.
	Figures for bus and rail travel have been estimated by dividing total revenue from passenger fares (including revenue from payments for concessionary fares) by the total number of passenger kilometres travelled. They therefore represent an average cost to passengers over all journeys made, and do not necessarily reflect the cost for any individual journey.
	Figures for car travel have been estimated by dividing household expenditure on motoring and fuel by the estimated total number of passenger kilometres travelled by car, by those living in households.
	For rail and car it is not possible to split the revenue/ expenditure and passenger figures by area type—a single journey may cover a number of different areas.
	Figures are in current prices.

10-year Plan

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) public investment, (b) public resource expenditure, (c) private resource expenditure and (d) private investment is expected under the 10-year plan for (i) road building and (ii) road maintenance broken down by road type; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The requested information is set out in the tables.
	
		10-year plan public spending on roads: 2001–02 to 2010–11, -- £ billion, outturn prices
		
			   Road building Road maintenance Other expenditure Total expenditure 
		
		
			 Strategic 
			 Public investment 7.1 4.3 2.2 13.6 
			 Public resources 3.9 2.8 2.2 8.9 
			  
			 Local 
			 Public investment 1.3 9.6 0.0 10.9 
			 Public resources 0.9 19.0 0.0 19.8 
			  
			 London 
			 Public investment 2.2 0.0 0.0 2.2 
			 Public resources 0.0 2.6 0.0 2.6 
			 Total 15.4 38.2 4.4 58.0 
		
	
	
		10-year plan private investment on roads: 2001–02 to 2010–11, -- £ billion, outturn prices
		
			   Road building Road maintenance Other expenditure Total expenditure 
		
		
			 Strategic 2.6 0.0 0.0 2.6 
			 Local 2.4 0.0 0.0 2.4 
			 Total 5.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures may not total due to rounding.
	No assumptions were made in the plan about the level of private resource expenditure, or about the breakdown of public expenditure and private investment between road types.The actual level of spending on roads in London will be a matter for the London Mayor.

Correspondence (Wales)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many written representations his Department has received from people in Wales since June 1997.

David Jamieson: The Department does not hold central records relating to the number of written representations received from people in Wales.

Noise Mitigation (Biggleswade)

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the funding within this financial year of noise mitigation measures along the stretch of the A1 known as the Biggleswade by-pass; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I have asked the chief executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Alistair Burt, dated 1 July 2002
	I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about noise mitigation on the Biggleswade Bypass.
	In line with the Government's aim, set out in the 10 Year Plan, of reducing noise for the motorway and trunk road network, Biggleswade Bypass was resurfaced with noise reducing materials in November 2000.
	Although we have no plans for further noise mitigation measures in this financial year (2002/03) we do recognise that there is a case for further mitigation measures. But our priority is to deal with those sites announced in the House of Commons on 11 November 1999, and known as the Hansard List, by 2004/05. We will look at other sites, such as Biggleswade Bypass after that.

Special Needs Transport

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to develop a system of special needs transport in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: At the local level English authorities outside London are required to develop five-year local transport plans to tackle the transport issues faced by their communities. Our guidance on LTPs makes clear the importance of improving public transport and the vital role of voluntary and community transport in bringing benefits and better mobility for all sections of society through the provision of door-to-door and other specialised services.
	Non-profit making organisations may use permits issued under section 19 of the Transport Act 1985. This enables them to run, among other things, special needs transport without the need to meet the requirements of bus operator licensing.

Safety Risk Assessments

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many safety risk assessments, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act, have been carried out by (a) county highways authorities on county roads in England and Wales and (b) the Highways Agency on motorways and trunk roads to identify the number of locations where roads cross railway lines since the Selby train crash; and what action the authorities have taken to prevent accidents at the locations identified.

David Jamieson: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty on employers to conduct their undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of the public. In general, this is not enforced where public and worker safety is adequately protected by a more specific and detailed law enforced by another authority, such as the Highways Act 1980 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
	We have endorsed the risk ranking guidance produced by Railtrack and the CSS (formerly the County Surveyors' Society) and have commended it to highway authorities and rail infrastructure authorities. Details of risk assessments and any measures installed as a result are not held centrally.

Learning to Drive

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses the Department received to the consultation document, "Introducing a More Structured Approach to Learning to Drive".

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 669W to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mr. Lazarowicz).

Vehicle Registration

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the DVLA vehicle register will provide on request details of country of registration of coaches used for school trips.

David Jamieson: The DVLA vehicle register contains information about all vehicles used or kept on public roads in Great Britain. The fact that a vehicle has been previously registered—for example, in a different country—is recorded on the register and shown on the vehicle registration document. This fact would be disclosed on request. Details of where a vehicle was previously registered are not recorded.

Sangatte Refugee Camp

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost will be to the Strategic Rail Authority of strengthening the perimeter fence between the Sangatte refugee camp and the entrance to the channel tunnel.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) will contribute towards the cost of the works in progress to increase security at the Fréthun rail freight terminal, adjacent to the channel tunnel, in order to enable early resumption of full and reliable rail freight services through the channel tunnel. The works will cost around £5 million in total. The amount of the SRA contribution is still to be settled.

Railways (Financial Support)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the criteria are for determining whether money paid to the railway industry by (a) the Office of the Rail Regulator and (b) SRA is subject to state aid approval from the EU;
	(2)  what the criteria are for determining whether money paid by the Government to the (a) Office of the Rail Regulator and (b) SRA is subject to state aid approval from the EU.

David Jamieson: Apart from receiving money for its own administration, the Office of the Rail Regulator is not involved in receiving or paying out money. Any financial support provided to the railway industry by the SRA is compared with the EC state aid rules. Financial support that constitutes or may constitute a state aid, and is not covered by an existing state aid approved scheme, is notified to the Commission.

Bradford Forster Square to King's Cross Service

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason the frequency of the Bradford Forster Square to King's Cross service has been reduced to two journeys each way per day.

David Jamieson: Great North Eastern Railway's Passenger Service Requirement, which is a key part of their Franchise Agreement, requires them to provide two services each weekday between London King's Cross and Bradford and one in the opposite direction. The new Summer Timetable does, however, provide an additional 11 daily trains between London and Leeds offering connections to Bradford.

Public Transport (Safety)

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the compulsory fitting of seat belts on coaches used to transport pupils to and from school.

David Jamieson: Since 1998 all coaches specifically used to transport pupils to and from school have been required to be fitted with seat belts.

Coastguard Helicopter Services

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes are proposed for coastguard helicopter services on the south coast.

David Jamieson: Contracts for the provision of search and rescue helicopter services along the south coast will continue until they expire in May 2003. The future location of the helicopter that is currently based at Portland remains under discussion between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the South West Regional Development Agency.

Iwade-Queenborough A249

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will announce the winning consortia for the Iwade-Queenborough A249 improvements; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: I expect the contract for this project to be awarded in the late summer of 2003.

Road Tax

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue he expects to be lost on unpaid vehicle road tax in 2002.

David Jamieson: A roadside survey of vehicle excise duty evasion is currently taking place and the results will be known in the autumn.
	The last such survey took place in June 1999. This showed the level of VED evasion as 3.9 per cent. of revenue due. This equated to £191 million in 2001–2. This was offset by £110 million recovered through enforcement activities.

Bus Fuel Duty Rebate

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 774W, on bus fuel duty rebate, what was the last occasion on which he received a representation with regards the fuel duty rebate; from whom this was received and what changes were suggested; and what the timetable is to take forward the review of bus subsidies.

David Jamieson: The most recent representation we have received is a letter dated 29 May from BP Oil UK Ltd. This drew attention to the current trials of diesel emulsion fuel in London and proposed either the equalisation of the fuel duty rebate rate paid on that fuel with the rate paid on ordinary diesel or the replacement of the rebate by a payment on a per mile basis.
	The review of bus subsidies will start this month and is due to be completed by the end of February 2003.

Urban Bus Challenge Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the projects being operated as a result of the Urban Bus Challenge Fund, giving (a) the start date of the project, (b) the project location and (c) the money attributed to each project.

John Spellar: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The results of the first Urban Bus Challenge competition were announced on 2 November 2001 Official Report, column 923W-924W. This involved awards to 24 local authorities for 32 separate schemes, details of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House. 27 of these schemes have commenced and the remainder are due to be started by the local authorities concerned this financial year.

Bus Punctuality

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the bus punctuality figures for each of the last six years for (a) local buses including London, (b) local buses excluding London, (c) local London buses and (d) non-local buses.

David Jamieson: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Information is not available in the form requested.

Road and Rail Intersections

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many locations (a) motorway and trunk roads and (b) country roads in England and Wales cross railway lines.

David Jamieson: The report of the Highways Agency Working Group "To Review the Standards for the Provision of Nearside Safety Fences" gives the following figures for the number of road over rail bridges:
	
		
			   England Wales 
		
		
			 Motorways 198 24 
			 All purpose trunk roads 313 64 
			 Local roads 3,955 299 
			  
			  4,466 387 
		
	
	The figures for local road bridges over 'live' railway lines is based on replies from CSS Area Bridge Conference members as at 8 August 2001, not all replies having been completed.

Road Studies

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of the right hon. Member for Tyneside, North (Mr. Byers) of 10 April 2002, Official Report, column 103W, on the M4, if he will similarly list, by road number, the studies initiated by his Department and other Government agencies covering all or part of each road making up the Strategic Road Network, including (a) multi modal, (b) Highways Agency and (c) other studies.

John Spellar: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The following studies initiated by my Department on the trunk road network have been or are being taken forward:
	(a) Multi-modal studies
	Multi modal studies take a broad view of significant issues affecting transport corridors across all the modes, and are proposing major investments in roads and public transport. The main trunk roads within the study areas are listed below:
	A21/A27/A258: Access to Hastings
	A14: CHUMMS—Cambridge to Huntingdon
	M60/A6: SEMMMS—South-East Manchester
	M6/M5/M42: West Midlands area
	M6: MIDMAN—West Midlands to North-West
	A453: (M1-Nottingham)
	M18/M62/M1/A1: SWYMMS—South and West Yorks Motorway Box
	A1/A19: TAMMS—Tyneside area
	M1/A52: North/South movements in East Midlands
	M25: ORBIT—Transport Solutions Around London
	M4/M5/A303: SWARMMS—London to South-West and South Wales
	A63: Hull Corridor
	A1: (North of Newcastle)
	A12/A120: London to Ipswich
	M60
	Junctions 12–18 (West to North Manchester)
	M27/A27/A259: South Coast Corridor (SoCCoMMS)
	M1/A1(M)/M11/A10: London to South Midlands
	M69/M42/A38: West Midlands to East Midlands
	M4/M3: Thames Valley (London to Reading)
	A47: Norwich to Peterborough
	A34: North from Southampton
	A52: Corridor (to Bingham). Road Based Studies
	Road based studies are designed to address more localised or specific problems on the trunk road network, where road improvements are expected to provide the solution.
	A1: Bramham to Barton
	A66: Safety Study
	M40/A46: Longbridge roundabout
	A3: Hindhead
	M1: Junction 19
	A419: Blunsdon
	A5117/A550: Deeside Park Junctions
	A47: Norwich to Great Yarmouth
	A5/A483: Shrewsbury to Chester
	A38: Derby Junctions. (b) Highways Agency
	Route Management Strategies
	The principal aim of route management strategies is to develop, in consultation with the public and other stakeholders, 10-year action plans for the HA's management of trunk roads and motorways within the frameworks established by regional transport strategies.
	A35/A31/A30 (Southampton to Exeter)
	A417/A419 (Swindon to Gloucester)
	M5 (J21–31) (Weston to Exeter excluding J21)
	A1 (London to Peterborough)
	A12 (M25 to Ipswich)
	M62/A63/A1033 (Liverpool—Hull)
	A1 (Gateshead—Scottish Border)
	A14 (M1—Felixstowe)
	M5 (South of J9 to North of J15)
	A46 (Leicester—Lincoln)
	M1 (J30-J42) (inc M1-A1 Link) and M621 Leeds
	M18 (M1—M62)
	M57/M58/A5036 (M6—Liverpool—M62)
	M53/A55/A483 (Birkenhead to Welsh border)
	A64 (A1 to Scarborough)
	M180/A180/A160 (M18 to Grimsby)
	M6 (J20–44)/A74 (Warrington to Scottish border)
	A69 (Newcastle to Carlisle)
	A168/A19 (A1 Dishforth to Gateshead)
	M55 (Blackpool to M6)
	M65/A56/M66 (M6 to Burnley to M62)
	A49 (A40 to A5)
	M6 (M1-J4)/A45/M45/A46 (A45-M6) and A5 (M1-Lichfield)
	A1 (Peterborough to Blyth)
	M4 (J1–15) (London to Swindon excl J15) and A404/A404M Windsor—Beaconsfield
	A421/A428 (M1 to Cambridge)
	M20/M26/A20 (London to Dover)
	A47/A12 (Peterborough to Lowestoft)
	M3 (J1–13)/M27 (J4–1)/M271 London to Southampton
	M11 (London to Cambridge)
	M1/M10 (London to M6)
	A27/A259/M27 (J4–12) Southampton—Folkestone
	M25 London Orbital (North) and (South)
	A13 London—Tilbury. (c) Other studies
	At any one time the Highways Agency as part of the day-to-day management of the trunk road network is progressing, and contributing to, numerous other studies concerned with development pressures, safety issues, or other matters affecting the operation of motorways and trunk roads.

Buses

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many low-emission buses were introduced in each of the last five years, broken down by type of (a) fuel and (b) engine that cause the lower emissions

David Jamieson: To help reduce traffic pollution, low-emission buses and other heavy vehicles are eligible for lower 'reduced pollution certificate' (RPC) rates of Vehicle Excise Duty. The numbers of buses being registered in the last five years and qualifying for RPCs, broken down by fuel/engine type, are as follows:
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 Petrol 0 0 0 6 2 
			 Diesel 29 122 385 583 429 
			 Gas 23 7 30 12 5 
			  
			 Total 52 129 415 601 436

Road Safety

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in each of the last five years for which figures are available have been killed as a result of motorists driving under the influence of (a) alcohol and (b) drugs; what new proposals he has to stop (i) drink and (ii) drug driving; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		Estimates of road users killed in accidents where one or more drivers were above the legal limit
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1996 580 
			 1997 550 
			 1998 460 
			 1999 460 
			 2000(54) 520 
		
	
	(54) Provisional
	National road accident statistics do not identify cases where drivers involved were under the influence of drugs.
	Publicity remains a major factor in combating drink driving. We are moving to a year round more diversified campaign involving a wide variety of media. With respect to drugs, we are considering the best way of targeting advice to potential users about the dangers of driving after taking drugs.
	We intend also to strengthen enforcement by giving the police the power to undertake roadside evidential breath-testing and, where appropriate, to take blood samples from unconscious subjects in hospital. We are monitoring the impact of the new police drug recognition and impairment tests and also intend to take legislative powers to enable the police to require suspect drivers to undertake roadside tests which, could include specialised drug detection devices if they become available.

Roads (North-West)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for new road schemes in the north-west; and if he will list those schemes, giving in each case the (a) cost and (b) commencement date.

David Jamieson: The planned new road schemes in the Government's targeted programme of improvements that are not yet at the construction stage in the north-west are as follows. (The TPI is a programme of major road improvements announced in July 1998 in support of the Integrated Transport White Paper 'A New Deal for Transport'.)
	
		
			  Scheme and brief details  Estimated cost (£ million)  Start of Works 
		
		
			 M60 Motorway Junctions 5 to 8 Widening. 80 2003–04 
			 Widening the motorway from the present dual two and three lane carriageways to dual three and four lane carriageways with associated improvements to junctions.   
			
			 A595 Parton to Lillyhall. 17.7 2005–06 
			 Upgrading the route between Parton and Lillyhall, including improvements to junctions, and a dual carriageway bypass of the villages of Distington and Howgate.   
			   
			 A66 Temple Sowerby Bypass (dual carriageway). 18 Spring 2004–05 
			 Removal of some 90 per cent. of traffic through Temple Sowerby, including a substantial number of heavy goods vehicles, bringing safety and environmental benefits.  
			 M6 Motorway Extension Carlisle to Guards Mill. 65 2005–06 
			 Upgrading to motorway status the only non-motorway link between Central Scotland and Southern England, which will include the replacement of the Mossband Viaduct.   
			
			 M62 Motorway Junction 6 Improvement. 24 2007–08 
			 Improvements to the junction by providing links from the M62 motorway (westbound) to the M57 (northbound), and from the M57 (southbound) to the M62 (eastbound). The scheme will contribute to the regeneration of Merseyside and relieve congestion at the junction 6 Roundabout.   
		
	
	The start dates given are subject to the satisfactory completion of the necessary statutory procedures.
	There are two other TPI schemes that are currently under construction. These are:
	
		
			  Scheme  Estimated cost (£ million)  Completion date 
		
		
			 A500 Basford Hough Shavington Bypass. 28.2 Spring 2003 
			 Removal of some 80 per cent. of traffic through Basford Hough and Shavington, including a substantial number of heavy goods vehicles.   
			
			 A66 Stainburn and Great Clifton Bypass. 7.2 December 2002 
			 Removal of some 75 to 80 per cent. of traffic through Stainburn and Great Clifton, including a substantial number of heavy goods vehicles.   
		
	
	There is also one other scheme that is not in the TPI, but which is currently under construction. This is the provision of a new junction 8 on the M62 at Warrington, and the widening of the motorway between junctions 8 and 9. The cost of the scheme is around £20 million, which is being met by the developer of the nearby Omega Development site. The expected completion date is December 2002.
	There are also a number of local authority road schemes, which have been provisionally accepted for funding by the Secretary of State. They are:
	
		
			  Scheme Estimated cost (£ million) Completion date 
		
		
			 Alderley Edge Bypass 38 October 2003 
			 Bridgefoot Environmental Enhancement 6 April 2003 
			 Carlisle Northern Development 22 June 2004 
			 The Glossop Spur 7 August 2004 
			 Hall Lane Improvement—Liverpool 9 April 2005 
		
	
	The SEMMMS report recommended three new road proposals to be taken forward by the local authorities. These are: Poynton Bypass; A555 MALRW; and the A6(M) Stockport north-south Bypass.

Roads

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total lengths of roads controlled by each local authority is, sub-divided between road classification.

David Jamieson: The total length of public road controlled by local authorities in Great Britain was 377,346 kilometres as at 1 April 2001. A full analyses of the 11 classes of local authority roads within each of the 204 local authorities within Great Britain can be found by following the links at the following website: http:// www.transtat.dft.gov.uk/roadtraf/gorlen01.htm

Roads

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce the value he puts on reducing road congestion when calculating a rail scheme's value for money.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority's Freight Strategy, published in May 2001, announced that it was undertaking a review of the valuation of road congestion costs in time and money for lorry miles switched to rail. This review is on-going and I cannot prejudge the SRA's conclusions.

Roads

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government are taking to reduce road congestion.

David Jamieson: It is intended that the 10-year plan will reduce road congestion below current levels by 2010. Under the 10-year plan £181.9 billion of investment will improve strategic roads, railways and local transport.

Speed Limits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research has been conducted (a) for and (b) by his Department into the impact of variable speed limits; what plans he has in relation to variable speed limits; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) monitored trials on the effectiveness of variable speed limits outside schools. Variable Message Signs were installed outside schools that reduced the speed limit typically one hour around school arrival and leaving times. The result showed very little reduction in vehicle speeds and the report concluded that as a speed reducing feature they were ineffective.
	The Highways Agency is also currently trialling variable speed limits on sections of the M25. Independent monitoring and assessment of the scheme is being undertaken by TRL and the results so far have been encouraging. The area over which the variable speed limits operate has recently been extended. The extension is being closely monitored and results are expected next year.

"Walking in Towns and Cities"

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action has been taken to implement the Transport Committee's report, "Walking in Towns and Cities"; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Since the Government's response to the Select Committee was published in November 2001, a number of actions have taken place. A draft national walking strategy is being prepared and will be issued for consultation in due course. A series of regional seminars is under way throughout England and we are reviewing proposals for the establishment of an interactive website. We are developing a specification for research on attitudes to walking. Finally, we are reviewing and updating our technical guidance on walking.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when each of the asset registers are expected to be placed in the data room that is being prepared by the administrators of Railtrack;
	(2)  what the status of the data room being prepared by the administrators to Railtrack is; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the location is of the data room being prepared by the administrators of Railtrack;
	(4)  if he will place in the Library the index of reports in, or due to be placed in, the data room by the administrators of Railtrack.

David Jamieson: These are matters for the administrators.

Railway Byelaws

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 771W, on railway byelaws, for what reasons (a) Union Railways (North), (b) Union Railways (South) and (c) Hull Trains have written to the Department about their proposals for making byelaws based on the framework set; what advice, guidance and directions were given by his Department in response; and if he will list the questions raised related to the (i) interpretation and (ii) application of current byelaws by (A) GNER, (B) Arriva Trains Merseyside and (C) Thameslink.

David Jamieson: Union Railways (North) Ltd. and Union Railways (South) Ltd. approached the Department in respect of the application of the framework set of byelaws to infrastructure for which they are responsible. The Department is in discussion with them on the most appropriate means. Hull Trains Ltd. sought advice on the procedure for making byelaws, which the Department has provided.
	GNER inquired about the level of fine available for the offence of trespass under their byelaws. Arriva Trains Merseyside inquired about changing the name of the operator on their byelaws. Thameslink inquired about the scope of the definition of 'authorised persons' in their byelaws.

Strategic Rail Authority

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the Strategic Rail Authority's balance sheet will reflect the potential liabilities incurred as a result of its underwriting of loans to Network Rail.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, on 27 June 2002, Official Report, columns 971–73, and to the subsequent reply given to a question from the hon. Member, Official Report, column 983.

Potters Bar Rail Crash

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for a public inquiry into the Potters Bar rail crash.

David Jamieson: A formal independent investigation into the causes of the Potters Bar train derailment is being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The terms of reference allow for a thorough and broad investigation into all the circumstances and the root causes. We will await the outcome of HSE's investigations before deciding whether they raise issues which would merit further investigation by a public inquiry. Any safety-critical information that comes to light will immediately be disseminated to the railway industry to prevent any further similar accidents in the future.

Rail Freight

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he will implement to help achieve the Government's target for an increase in rail freight; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Strategic Rail Authority set out in its Freight Strategy last year the detailed plans for achieving the rail freight growth envisaged by the Government's 10-year Plan for Transport.

Reading Station

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age is of the rails at Reading station.

David Jamieson: My Department does not hold such information. It is an operational matter for Railtrack.

Railways

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) guidance he has given and (b) legislation is in place with regard to delay attribution on the railways; what plans there are to change them; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Delay attribution is undertaken in accordance with internal rail industry processes and is not specifically regulated. The Track Access Agreements between Train Operating Companies and Railtrack (which are overseen by the Rail Regulator) contain a schedule (Schedule 8) which gives high level guidance about delay attribution. An Industry Delay Attribution Board, with representatives from the whole of the rail industry handles the day to day detailed attribution of individual delays.

Women's Refuges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  how many women's refuges have received Government funding in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many refuges for women have been built in Britain in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government's main capital and revenue funding for refuge and support provision is provided from the following sources:
	The Housing Corporation's Approved Development Plan (ADP) provides capital allocations to RSLs for the provision of social housing, including women's refuges. Revenue funding for housing management and support is provided via the Corporation's Supported Housing Management Grant (SHMG).
	Transitional Housing Benefit: provides rent and housing support costs, for those women who are eligible. (Note that from 1 April 2003, the elements of THB that provide support, and SHMG, will become part of Supporting People Grant.)
	Over the past five years, women's refuges will also have been eligible for funding from Government regeneration programmes, such as the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB).
	Local Government funding is provided by many local authorities, who provide a range of services, including housing and support, advice, advocacy and children's services.
	Records are not held centrally of all women's refuges in England which have received funding or been built over the last five years as funding comes from a wide range of sources, and it is impossible to quantify the total amount and the total number of units completed. However, the table shows the number of schemes funded through the Housing Corporation's ADP and Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund over the last five years. The table also shows the number of completed units through the same funding streams.
	
		Housing Corporation ADP and Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund
		
			   Number of:  
			  Schemes approved Units completed 
		
		
			 1998–99 13 177 
			 1999–2000 17 234 
			 2000–01 30 45 
			 2001–02 41 226 
			 2002–03 30 n/a 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for Scotland and Wales are a matter for the devolved Administrations.

Performance Targets

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the performance targets that his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are required to meet, apart from those set out in the public service agreements for 1999 to 2002 and 2001 to 2004; and if he will specify for each target (a) who sets it and (b) who monitors achievement against it.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	In addition to its PSA targets, the former DTLR had a number of targets set in the supporting Service Delivery Agreement (SDA) agreed between the then DETR and Treasury Ministers following the 2000 Spending Review. (Those relating to the Fire Service were agreed with Home Office Ministers, whose responsibility the Fire Service then was.) Achievement against these targets is monitored by the Department's Finance Directorate and reported quarterly to Ministers and to the Treasury. The 19 SDA targets and progress against them were published in the DETR Annual Report for 2001 (Command 5105) and in the DTLR Annual Report for 2002 (Command 5405).
	Each of the former DTLR's 10 executive agencies were set key targets for 2002–03 by Ministers. These were announced to Parliament through written answers, details of which are set out as follows. Each agency chief executive is accountable to Ministers for the performance of their agency. The Department also regularly monitors performance against each agency's targets. All DTLR agencies publish annual report and accounts at the end of every financial year, which report on their performance against their targets.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answers on DTLR agencies targets as given on:
	29 January 2002, Official Report, column 203W—Highways Agency
	26 March 2002, Official Report, column 678W—Planning Inspectorate
	26 March 2002, Official Report, column 947W—Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	29 April 2002, Official Report, column 554W—The Rent Service
	9 May 2002, Official Report, column 298W—Fire Service College
	15 May 2002, Official Report, column 674W—Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
	16 May 2002, Official Report, column 795W—Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driving Standards Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency, Vehicle Inspectorate.
	Performance targets for executive NDPBs sponsored by the former DTLR, including outputs to be achieved, are normally agreed by Ministers and set out in the published business or corporate plan of the NDPB. Copies of such plans are available from the bodies. In most cases the Department monitors performance against these targets and for the more high profile bodies progress is discussed with Ministers. Outputs and achievements of each executive body are set out in its annual report. Copies of the annual report are available in the Library of the house.
	The Secretary of State has no powers of direction over the General Lighthouse Authorities' operational activities and those bodies are responsible for setting their own performance targets and the level of service required. A business plan for the Standards Board for England (created in 2001) is being prepared and performance targets will be agreed with the Department. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is required, by its Directions and Guidance from the Secretary of State, to work within its statutory framework to deliver the key rail targets set out in "Transport 2010: the Ten Year Plan" and to work with the rail industry to achieve substantial improvements in performance. Statistics in SRA's regular publications, "On track" and "National Rail Trends", provide an indication of achievement.
	No performance targets are set for the former Department's advisory NDPBs. Each advisory body normally sets its own programme of work for each year within its remit to advise Ministers on the particular policy area and agree this with the Department. No formal monitoring of performance takes place for these advisory bodies but outputs are set out in each body's annual report.

British Transport Police

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has held with the Home Secretary about the future deployment of the British Transport Police; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The deployment of the British Transport Police (BTP) is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Transport and the Home Secretary have agreed to provide central funds of £1.36 million to the BTP to support their participation in the Street Crime Initiative in London. This funding will enable the BTP to procure additional officers and equipment so that they can maximise their contribution to the initiative by targeting street crime in and around London's tube and rail network.

TREASURY

Refrigerators

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Her Majesty's Customs and Excise first stopped the export of second-hand fridges in response to the European Regulation; when it lifted that ban, and why; when it restored it; and what the total value was of second-hand fridges exported in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001.

John Healey: holding answer 17 June 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 March, Official Report, column 1107W. Customs statistics do not separately identify the value of second hand fridges exported.

Financial Ombudsman

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what power the financial ombudsman has to (a) impose and (b) collect fines from recalcitrant companies and individuals found guilty of selling incorrect policies.

Ruth Kelly: The Financial Ombudsman Service deals with complaints against financial services firms. It does not impose fines but where it decides a complaint against a firm, it can require the firm to make good the complainant's losses. The Financial Services Authority, as regulator, makes rules for regulated firms, including rules that they comply promptly with an ombudsman's decision. The FSA has a full range of disciplinary and enforcement powers over regulated firms, including the power to impose and collect fines.

State Pensions

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 June, Official Report, column 1290W, on state pensions, what proportion of the rise for each of the listed pension schemes since 1997 is caused by (a) increases in prices and salaries, (b) a growth in the number of public servants, (c) reassessments of mortality rates and (d) other reasons; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 21 June, Official Report, column 586W.

Pensions Mis-selling

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on recent action which he has taken on mis-selling of pensions.

Ruth Kelly: The Financial Services Authority announced earlier this year that it expected to bring the review of mis-sold pensions to a close by its target date of 30 June 2002. By the end of this year the vast majority of consumers with outstanding claims will have received the compensation due to them.

Spending Review

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has determined the date for this year's spending review announcement.

John Healey: The Chancellor expects to announce the date shortly.

Regional Organisation

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the agencies and NDPBs sponsored by his Department have a regional organisation; and if he will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002.

Paul Boateng: None of the agencies and NDPBs sponsored by the Treasury has a regional organisation.

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) pupils and (b) schools who were asked to take part in the OECD PISA survey refused to participate.

Paul Boateng: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many (a) pupils and (b) schools who were asked to take part in the OECD PISA survey refused to participate. (65134)
	The numbers of pupils and schools in England that were asked to take part in the OECD PISA survey and refused to participate are shown in Table 2.1 of "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study", published by ONS in May 2002.
	The report is available for free at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8169&More=N

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps were taken to assess the educational achievements of pupils who refused to sit the OECD PISA survey tests; and whether this information was incorporated into the PISA results.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what steps were taken to assess the educational achievements of pupils who refused to sit the OECD PISA survey tests; and whether this information was incorporated into the PISA results.(65135)
	The educational achievement of pupils who refused to sit the OECD PISA survey test were not assessed for the reasons given in Section A.4 under 'Representativeness of the sample of students', in Appendix A of "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study". This report was published by ONS in May 2002.
	As an alternative, test results at Key State 3 were sought directly from participating students so a comparison could be made with national statistics. However due to poor recollection by students, these data were incomplete and unreliable and therefore no comparison could be made.
	The report is available free at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8169&More=N

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reasons the schools which refused to participate in the OECD PISA survey gave for their refusal.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what reasons the schools which refused to participate in the OECD PISA survey gave for their refusal. (65133)
	For each school that chose not to participate in the OECD PISA survey in England, ONS attempted to ask the reasons why. Responses from schools varied in their level of detail and so it was not possible to conduct a systematic analysis. However, the most frequently cited reasons related to the time demands the survey would place upon school staff and on the selected students.

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pupils were asked to sit the OECD PISA survey test for (a) reading, (b) mathematical and (c) scientific literacy; and how they were chosen.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning how many pupils were asked to sit the OECD PISA survey test for (a) reading, (b) mathematical and (c) scientific literacy; and how they were chosen.(65137)
	Thirty-five students were randomly sampled in each participating school by ONS using lists of all students born in 1984 provided by the schools. Student sampling procedures and student response for PISA are described in Section 2.3 of Chapter 2 of "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study" (ONS, May 2002).
	The survey in England assessed all 4,120 participating pupils in reading literacy, 2,292 pupils in mathematical literacy and 2,284 in scientific literacy. The subjects that pupils were assessed in were determined by which of nine PISA test booklets had been randomly assigned to them.
	The report is available for free at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8169&More=N

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis schools were selected for inclusion in the OECD PISA survey; and how replacement schools were selected.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning on what basis schools were selected for inclusion in the OECD PISA survey; and how replacement schools were selected. (65129)
	Section 2.3 of Chapter 2 of "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study", (ONS, May 2002) outlines how schools were randomly sampled for the OECD PISA survey in England and describes the steps taken to represent the different types of schools in the correct proportions. For each school that was selected to take part, two potential replacement schools had been identified. Appendix A of this report describes the sampling procedures for replacement schools, which were designed so that the replacement schools had similar educational characteristics to the original school.
	The report is available for free at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8169&More=N.

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the OECD's policy is regarding the inclusion of replacement schools in the OECD PISA survey.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the OECD's policy regarding the inclusion of replacement schools in the OECD PISA survey. (65130)
	The OECD's specification for sampling schools for the OECD PISA survey required that a minimum response rate of 85 per cent. be achieved. Where this response rate fell between 65 per cent. and 85 per cent., it could still be achieved by using replacement sampling in line with procedures specified by the OECD. These are outlined in Section A.2 under "Replacement Sampling" in Appendix A of the ONS report, published in May 2002: "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study".
	The report is available for free at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8169&More=N.

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the schools selected as replacement schools for the OECD PISA survey.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the list of schools selected as replacement schools for the OECD PISA survey. (65131)
	The Data Protection Act requires the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to honour any pledge that it makes to respondents before taking part in its surveys. Both the sampled schools and sampled pupils were assured before agreeing to co-operate that their decision to take part and the information they gave would be held in confidence by ONS. Consequently ONS cannot release the names of participating or non-responding schools or pupils.

OECD PISA Survey

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of schools selected for the OECD PISA survey agreed to take part (a) prior to the inclusion of replacement schools and (b) after the inclusion of replacement schools; and what the minimum proportion of the originally selected schools is deemed acceptable by the OECD for inclusion in the international survey.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nick Gibb, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question concerning what proportion of schools selected for the OECD PISA survey agreed to take part (a) prior to the inclusion of replacement schools and (b) after the inclusion of replacement schools; and what the minimum proportion of the originally selected schools is deemed acceptable by the OECD for inclusion in the international survey. (65128)
	The numbers of schools in England that were selected for PISA and agreed to take part (a) prior to the inclusion of replacement schools and (b) after the inclusion of replacement schools are shown in Table 2.1 of "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study", published by ONS in May 2002.
	The corresponding response rates calculated by the OECD are (a) 59% and (b) 82% These fall below the response rates required by OECD for all participating countries of 65% and 85% respectively. The OECD therefore reviewed which schools had taken part and found that their profile of GCSE exam results was not statistically significantly different from that of all schools in England. An international review panel of experts that was established for this purpose by the OECD therefore concluded that low response from schools had not distorted English or UK results. Further details of this review can be found in Section A.4 under 'Representativeness of the sample of schools', in Appendix A of "Student Achievement in England—Results in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy among 15-year-olds from the OECD PISA 2000 study", published by ONS in May 2002.
	The report is available for free at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8169&More=N

Pension Funds

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average rate of tax relief was on contributions to pension funds for each of the years 1996–97 to 2000–01 corresponding to the rate of 30 per cent. estimated for 2001–02 in Table t7.9 on the Inland Revenue Website.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is contained in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated average rate of tax relief on contributions 
		
		
			 1996–97 28 
			 1997–98 28 
			 1998–99 29 
			 1999–2000 29 
			 2000–01 29 
		
	
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has today announced a review of Government statistics on contributions to private pensions involving ONS, DWP, Inland Revenue and external advisers.

PFI Contracts

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the payments under PFI contracts for each year from 2002–03 to 2027–28 for PFI deals which are expected to reach preferred bidder stage in the next three years.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury has no deals approaching preferred bidder stage at present.

Demographic Change

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Government projection is for demographic change in (a) London and (b) for all other regions in England over the next (i) five and (ii) 10 years for the age groups (A) 45 to 50, (B) 50 to 55, (C) 55 to 60, (D) 60 to 65, (E) 65 to 70, (F) 70 to 75, (G) 75 to 80, (H) 80 to 85 and (I) 85 years and over.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 1 July 2002
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on what the Government projection is for demographic change in (a) London and (b) for all other regions in England over the next (i) five and (ii) 10 years for the age-groups (A) 45–50, (B) 50–55, (C) 55 to 60, (D) 60–65, (E) 65–70, (F) 70–75, (G) 75–80, (I) 85 years and over. I am replying in his absence. (65413).
	The attached table provides the required information.
	
		Projected population for London and rest of England
		
			  Projected population change  
			   Projected population (thousands)  2002–07  2007–12  
			 Age 2002 2007 2012 Thousands Percentage Thousands Percentage 
		
		
			 London
			 45–49 455.8 561.2 638.1 105.4 23.1 76.9 13.7 
			 50–54 414.0 434.1 532.9 20.1 4.9 98.8 22.8 
			 55–59 372.0 388.3 406.8 16.3 4.4 18.5 4.8 
			 60–64 288.1 337.2 352.4 49.1 17.0 15.3 4.5 
			 65–69 247.3 251.4 296.4 4.0 1.6 45.0 17.9 
			 70–74 214.0 207.9 213.4 -6.2 -2.9 5.5 2.6 
			 75–79 175.1 167.3 165.8 -7.8 -4.4 -1.6 -0.9 
			 80–84 126.0 119.9 117.3 -6.1 -4.8 -2.6 -2.2 
			 85+ 117.7 114.6 112.0 -3.1 -2.6 -2.6 -2.3 
			 
			  Rest of England  
			 45–49 2,751.3 3,115.8 3,438.6 364.4 13.2 322.8 10.4 
			 50–54 2,837.2 2,729.7 3,096.9 -107.5 -3.8 367.2 13.5 
			 55–59 2,709.5 2,784.3 2,685.4 74.9 2.8 -99.0 -3.6 
			 60–64 2,102.8 2,624.7 2,704.3 521.9 24.8 79.6 3.0 
			 65–69 1,901.0 1,988.2 2,490.8 87.3 4.6 502.6 25.3 
			 70–74 1,717.2 1,715.6 1,808.9 -1.7 -0.1 93.3 5.4 
			 75–79 1,427.2 1,426.9 1,452.2 -0.2 0.0 25.3 1.8 
			 80–84 1,018.4 1,038.2 1,060.6 19.8 1.9 22.4 2.2 
			 85+ 865.1 939.6 997.1 74.5 8.6 57.5 6.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. ONS 1996-based long-term projections
	2. London is defined as the Government Office Region
	3. Figures my not sum due to rounding

Northern Ireland (Euro)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the extent of the use of the euro in Northern Ireland, especially in border areas.

Ruth Kelly: The Government have not made any assessment of euro-based transactions in the UK.
	It is entirely a commercial decision for UK business to determine whether or not they wish to accept the euro or any other foreign currency.

EU (Sustainable Convergence)

Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will include the economies of the applicant countries to the EU in the assessment of whether there can be sustainable convergence between the UK and the economies of the single currency.

Ruth Kelly: The Government have said that they will complete an assessment of the five economic tests within two years of the start of this Parliament.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 23 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. J. Greenhalgh.

Ruth Kelly: A reply will be sent to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton shortly. As the right hon. Member's constituent's letter points out, there have been a number of international meetings where aid and aid spending have been discussed. We have been awaiting the outcome of these meetings, most notably the G8 summit in Kananaskis, to include the latest information in the reply.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the EU Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods between member states is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Committee on Statistics relating to the trading of goods between member states met on 27 and 28 June, and is next due to meet on 14–15 November 2002. The UK is normally represented by two officials from HM Customs and Excise. The Customs delegates at this committee represent all of the UK.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

School Playing Fields

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to her oral statement of 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 599, on the sale of school playing fields, if she will place in the Library the figures available to her Department in respect of sales between 1979 and 1997.

Richard Caborn: Statistics on playing field sales were not collected until our playing fields legislation came into force. Public concern about the loss of school playing fields led directly to the introduction in October 1998 of Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Before Section 77 was introduced, only grant- maintained schools were required to seek consent from the Secretary of State before selling land, including areas of their playing fields. Local authorities and other schools that owned their own playing fields were free to sell without restriction.
	The then Department for Education and Employment estimated that an average of 40 playing fields a month were sold in this way before October 1998. Their estimate is based on the number of playing field disposals at grant-maintained schools between April 1996, when the previous Government further encouraged the disposal of playing fields by relaxing the Local Authority Capital Finance Regulations which governed the use of sale proceeds, and 1 October 1998, when section 77 took effect. During this 30-month period, some 64 grant- maintained schools were given approval to dispose of areas of playing field, which is an average of over two a month. Using the proportion of grant-maintained schools at that time compared with the number of other schools, the Department for Education and Skills estimate the total number of playing field disposals each month to have been around 40.

Sport England

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in (a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02 what percentages of Sport England's Exchequer grant-in-aid was spent on (i) staff costs, excluding national centres, (ii) administrative expenses, (iii) publicity, promotions and communications, (iv) grants to national governing bodies, (v) grants to Sportscoach UK, (vi) grants to the Youth Sports Trust, (vii) sports science and sports medicine, (viii) national centres, (ix) grants to other national sports bodies, excluding NGBs and (x) regional support.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Percentage 
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Staff costs excluding national centres 20.56 15.56 
			 Administrative expenses 10.60 9.08 
			 Publicity, promotions and communications 3.29 2.37 
			 Grants to national governing bodies 17.08 15.43 
			 Grants to Sportscoach UK 3.83 3.32 
			 Grants to Youth Sport Trust 0.00 0.00 
			 Sports science/medicine 0.71 0.23 
			 National centres 6.79 11.08 
			 Grants to other national sports bodies 8.54 7.36 
			 Regional support 28.60 35.56 
			  
			 Total 100.00 100.00

Sport England

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the projections for 2002–03 for the percentages of Sport England's grant-in-aid which will be spent on (a) staff costs, excluding national centres, (b) administrative expenses, (c) publicity, promotions and communications, (d) grants to national governing bodies, (e) grants to Sportscoach UK, (f) grants to the Youth Sports Trust, (g) sports science and sports medicine, (h) national centres, (i) grants to other national sports bodies, excluding NGBs and (j) regional support.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Percentage 
		
			  2002–03 
		
		
			 Staff costs excluding national centres 12.76 
			 Administrative expenses 6.41 
			 Publicity, promotions and communications 1.66 
			 Grants to national governing bodies 12.85 
			 Grants to Sportscoach UK 2.69 
			 Grants to Youth Sports Trust 0.00 
			 Sports science/medicine 0.19 
			 National Centres 11.39 
			 Grants to other national sports bodies 6.67 
			 Regional support 45.37 
			  
			 Total 100.00

Sport (West Cumbria)

Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made by the Sports Action Zone in West Cumbria; what investment has taken place in each of the local authorities covered by the Action Zone; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Eight months into the delivery of year one of the West Cumbria and Barrow Sport Action Zone Action Plan, programmes and projects with total funding of £1,210,031 have been approved in the zone. These vary from strategic programmes to local projects, lasting between one day and five years. The contribution so far from the Lottery funded Sport Action Zone Magnet Fund is £435,833. Partnership development with a wide range of cross boundary agendas and strategic partners has been a feature of the implementation of the Action Plan and a number of projects have emerged from the strategic programmes in the zone, resulting in additional investment and localized activities.
	In summary the position in each local authority area for primary funded Sport Action Zones programmes and projects is as follows:
	Allerdale:
	Total programme costs £169,493; magnet funding £89,000.
	Projects include:
	1. Allerdale Baton Relay race—linking local activities and events with the Commonwealth games.
	2. Stop smoking walking for health days—developed in partnership with the Health Action Zone and the Primary Care Trust.
	3. Promotion of the value of physical activity in schools and GP practices.
	4. Allerdale Community Chest small grants scheme—developed in partnership with the borough council and county council.
	5. Salterbeck Sport Development Officer and Co-ordinator—covering various Workington wards, developed in partnership with Impact Housing Association.
	6. Home Housing SOS programme—activities for young people on housing estates developed in partnership with Home Housing Association and the Millennium Volunteers Programme—aiming to foster a closer relationship between residents and social landlords.
	Barrow:
	Total programme costs £390,418; magnet funding £125,313.
	Projects include:
	1. Barrow Community Chest small grants scheme—developed in partnerships with the Barrow borough sports council.
	2. Active Living For All Consortium Programme—employing three specific sport development officers, linking Age Concern, Barrow Sport Development Team, the Community Safety Officer, Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust and Health Promotion. Many smaller localized projects have been developed from this strategic programme.
	3. Barrow Equity Officer—development of opportunities and removal of barriers to participation, specifically with disability and sport.
	4. Summer Scheme 2001 and Summer Scheme 2002—activities for young people throughout the summer holidays.
	5. Sports Directory and website—development of a web-based directory of sporting provision in the borough of Barrow.
	Copeland:
	Total programme costs £460,984; magnet funding £105,500.
	Projects include:
	6. Copeland Community Chest small grants scheme—developed in partnership with the borough council.
	7. Egremont Rural Youth Works—development of a range of programmes and projects tackling anti-social behaviour in Egremont, aiming to reduce crime by 50 per cent. over five years.
	8. Healthier Communities Worker—in partnership with South Whitehaven Single Regeneration Budget—development of local activity projects linked with capacity building in South Whitehaven.
	9. General Practitioner Referral Scheme—exercise on prescription in partnership with the borough council and Health Action Zone.
	10. Summer scheme 2002 providing activities for young people throughout the summer holidays in partnership with a range of other agencies and organisations.
	Allerdale and Copeland: Total costs for cross-district programmes £89,700 magnet funding £48,500.
	Projects include:
	1. links and jointly funded programmes and projects with the Health Action Zone and health authority.
	2. Sports Directory—development of a directory and web-based source of information on sporting and physical activity opportunities in West Cumbria.
	3. Walking your Way to Health schemes.
	4. Co-ordination of Cardiac rehabilitation stage IV throughout West Cumbria.
	Allerdale, Barrow and Copeland: Total costs for cross-district programmes £74,640 magnet funding £67,320.
	Projects include:
	1. Research on the impact that sporting activities bring to the wider economic and social agendas.
	2. Administration assistant for the zone manager.
	Allerdale, Barrow, Copeland, Carlisle, Eden and Kendal: Total costs for cross-district programmes £24,796 magnet funding £7,500.
	Projects include:
	Adults Other Than Teachers—in partnership with the local education authority and Cumbria Sport. Training of adults to participate in the delivery and development of extra-curricular activities linked to Cumbrian schools.

National Lottery

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will provide a list for each distributor of lottery money of how much money from held funds has been committed, and to whom and when the commitment was made.

Richard Caborn: Money raised by the National Lottery for good causes is paid into the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF). Any interest earned is added to the amount available for distribution. Money is subsequently drawn down from the fund by lottery distributors when it is needed to pay grant recipients and not before.
	Commitments by the 15 lottery distributors at 31 March 2002 totalled £4,127,025,203. This is broken down as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 1,058,936,426 
			 Sport England 847,653,000 
			 New Opportunities Fund 881,804,894 
			 Community Fund 549,556,460 
			 Arts Council of England 245,735,456 
			 Millennium Commission 229,000,000 
			 Film Council 59,866,380 
			 Sport Scotland 53,300,138 
			 UK Sports Council 50,913,971 
			 Sports Council of Wales 39,435,417 
			 Arts Council of Wales 37,839,215 
			 Scottish Arts Council 35,566,366 
			 Arts Council of Northern Ireland 18,112,610 
			 Sports Council of Northern Ireland 14,360,700 
			 Scottish Screen 4,944,170 
		
	
	These funds will have been committed by distributors to a great number of projects, which could not be listed individually except at disproportionate cost.

Select Committee Report

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will publish the Government's response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's Fourth report on Communications.

Tessa Jowell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and I are today jointly publishing the Government's response to the Select Committee's Fourth report on Communications. The response is available on both the DTI (www.dti.gov.uk) and DCMS (www.culture.gov.uk) websites. Copies of the response were laid before Parliament earlier today and placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Liabilities Management Authority

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish the White Paper on the Liabilities Management Authority.

Brian Wilson: The White Paper on managing the nuclear legacy will be published shortly.

Liabilities Management Authority

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with British Energy and BNFL on the proposed Liabilities Management Authority.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Since the announcement made by my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 990, my officials have had discussions with both companies on a range of issues, including the setting up of the Liabilities Management Authority (LMA).
	A White Paper on managing the nuclear legacy will be published shortly. This will set out the Government's proposals for the LMA as a body responsible to Government for ensuring that public sector civil nuclear liabilities are dealt with safely, securely, cost-effectively and in ways which protect the environment for the benefit of current and future generations.

Liabilities Management Authority

Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the development of policy on nuclear liabilities management; when she expects to publish the White Paper; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: The White Paper on managing the nuclear legacy will be published shortly.

Energy Policy

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets have been set for the development of combined heat and power plants.

Michael Meacher: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have set a target of at least 10,000 MWe of installed combined heat and power by 2010. A draft "CHP Strategy to 2010" was launched for consultation by me on 15 May. The closing date for responses is 7 August 2002. The draft strategy sets out measures to support the achievement of the Government's CHP target. Copies of the draft strategy have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Arms Exports

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what net cash flow from the Export Credits Guarantee Department was attributed to defence exports in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) interest rate support, (b) claims paid, (c) interest paid and (d) operating expenses.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 June 2002, Official Report, column 589W.

Arms Exports

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support Trade Partners UK provided to assist British companies to attend or exhibit at the IPAS 2002 (International Police & Security Equipment Exhibition) in Iran; and which (a) companies and (b) amounts were involved.

Nigel Griffiths: Trade Partners UK provided no support to British companies to attend IPAS 2002 in Iran.

Redundancy Payments

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was paid out from public funds in redundancy payments in lieu of companies in liquidation in the last financial year.

Alan Johnson: For the financial year ending 31 March 2002 the redundancy payments service paid some £208.7 million to redundant workers out of the National Insurance Fund. Most of their former employers were insolvent but in some cases the service made payments where solvent employers were unable or willing to pay. The figure includes statutory redundancy pay, unpaid wages, unpaid holiday pay and payments to compensate workers for not receiving proper notice. It does not include some £15.2 million in tax and national insurance contributions paid on behalf of workers and £2.1 million paid in pension contributions.

Heat Transfer Technology

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she is taking to encourage the development of interseasonal heat transfer technology in the UK.

Brian Wilson: Ground source heat pumps (GSHP) are a proven and reliable technology that can be commercially attractive in certain situations. DTI helped fund the establishment of a UK heat pump network in 1999 to promote the technology. The Government now encourages the development of this technology through the Carbon Trust's "Action Energy" programme, which is supported by DEFRA, the Scottish Energy Efficiency Office, the National Assembly for Wales and Invest Northern Ireland. The Carbon Trust currently supports the following GSHP activities:
	(i) a new study to monitor the performance of domestic GSHP systems on three sites;
	(ii) a proposed new study of a GSHP system in a single commercial building;
	(iii) two small part-funded R&D projects;
	(iv) the UK Heat Pump Network.

Export Finance (Energy Production)

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the coal power plants which have had British business involvement with ECGD assistance since 1992; and if she will make a statement in each case on (a) project name, (b) country location, (c) capacity in MW, (d) estimated carbon emissions and (e) the value of the loan guaranteed.

Patricia Hewitt: The table lists the name, country location, capacity in MW, estimated carbon emissions per year, and the value of the loan guaranteed by ECGD for each of the coal-fired stations for which ECGD has guaranteed the repayment of a loan since 1992. The list does not include projects for which ECGD has solely provided overseas investment insurance and other insurances since such cases are treated as commercial in confidence.
	In estimating the value of carbon emissions it has been assumed that, upon completion, the stations will operate for 60 per cent. of the time (5,256 hours per year). It has also been assumed that carbon makes up 27.3 per cent. of the atomic mass of CO 2 and that coal produces CO 2 at 0.687 tonnes per MW per hour.
	These assumptions are taken from the greenhouse gas protocol website www.ghgprotocol.org and are the 1999 average values for power plants in "Economies In Transition" (i.e. markets where ECGD most commonly provides guarantees).
	It should be noted that for most large power stations ECGD is only one of several financial providers.
	
		
			  Project  Country  Capacity (MW) Carbon emissions (tonnes per year)  Loan value (£ million) 
		
		
			 Balagarh India 500 492,481 3.5 
			 Budge Budge India 500 492,481 64.5 
			 Dalate China 700 689,474 17.8 
			 Fuzhou China 700 689,474 63.1 
			 Nantong China 660 650,075 20.0 
			 Fushan City China 100 98,496 22.1 
			 Gao Bei Dian China (55)— (55)— 3.3 
			 Shaijao 'C' China (55)— (55)— 42.5 
			 Omblin Indonesia 200 196,992 60.9 
			 Dalian China 700 689,474 66.5 
			 Dandong China 700 689,474 67.8 
			 Majuba South Africa 3,600 3,545,864 239.0 
			 Harare and Munyati Zimbabwe 255 251,165 7.1 
			 Shandong China 3,000 2,954,887 213.5 
			 Sual Philippines 1,200 1,181,955 296.6 
			 Bulawayo Zimbabwe 120 118,195 5.6 
			 Manjung Malaysia 2,100 2,068,421 522.3 
			 Afsin-Elbistan Turkey 1,080 1,063,759 8.4 
		
	
	(55) Not known, as ECGD's records do not show the capacity of these stations. Both cases involved the basic supply of goods and so details of construction/capacity were not required. Shaijao was underwritten in 1993 and details of loan utilisation are no longer available.

Telephone Exchanges (Essex)

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which telephone exchanges in Essex have been converted to DSL; and what plans there are to convert the remaining exchanges.

Patricia Hewitt: BT's website provides details of enabled exchanges by county: "http://www.bt.com/broadband/"
	According to the information they provide, 35 exchanges in Essex have to date been enabled to provide ADSL services.
	BT announced on 18 June that they will enable an exchange where a specified number of users have registered their interest, and will publicise how many more registrations are needed to reach the target. At first this offer will cover 300 exchanges, to be followed by a further 600.

Job Sharing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to encourage businesses to employ job-share employees.

Alan Johnson: We are working with a wide range of businesses to raise awareness of the business benefits of flexible working, including job sharing. In addition, through our successful £10.5 million Work-Life Balance Challenge Fund programme, we are providing support and guidance to employers who want to adopt flexible working.
	Evidence to date indicates an increase in people taking up opportunities to job share in projects supported by the Challenge Fund. We are also actively disseminating the emerging best practice, so that more businesses and employees will be able to benefit from flexible working arrangements.
	In addition, from April 2003, parents of children aged under six and disabled children aged under eighteen will have a right to request to work flexibly (which includes job share) and employers will have a duty to consider requests seriously. This important new right will be accompanied by a package of support for both employers and employees.

Job Sharing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the Department's staff are job-share employees.

Patricia Hewitt: There are currently 10 staff sharing five jobs in DTI HQ and its agencies. The assumption is that all posts will be open to part-time and job share staff. If, exceptionally, there are objective reasons why a job may not be undertaken on a part-time or job share basis, the reasons would be stated clearly in the advertisement.

Nuclear Installations

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor), of 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 968, if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation from the Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations.

Brian Wilson: HSE is placing copies of the Chief Inspector's presentation in the Libraries of the House. It is also available on the HSE website.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with whom the office for Civil Nuclear Security discussed the potential vulnerability to attack of the Sellafield MOX plant, following the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September 2001; and if she will place in the Library a declassified version of the report prepared by the OCNS on SMP security.

Brian Wilson: The Office for Civil Nuclear Security consulted with HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and other Government departments and agencies as appropriate, as well as the Sellafield site licensees in considering the consequences of the attacks in the United States last September and in reviewing security measures in place at Sellafield. OCNS reports concentrate on security measures and as it is not Government policy to disclose details of security measures taken at civil nuclear sites, I will not be placing any declassified versions in the Libraries of the House.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there is a prohibition against employing staff members of non Governmental organisations or independent research institutes as specialists for the office for Civil Nuclear Security.

Brian Wilson: There is no such restriction. All applicants for posts to be filled are assessed on their suitability to meet the requirements of the post and vetting requirements. OCNS, as elsewhere in Government, is an equal opportunities employer.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she plans to increase the operating budget of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security.

Brian Wilson: It has been agreed by the Treasury that the budget for the office for Civil Nuclear Security will be increased by £200,000 for the financial year 2002–03 and by £300,000 for the financial year 2003–04 in order to cover additional security and vetting posts.

Public Holidays

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost to business of each public holiday in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.

Alan Johnson: Based on the most recent data available on Compensation of Employees from the Regional Accounts (produced by the Office for National Statistics), the estimated cost of a bank holiday to UK business in 1999 was £1.89 billion. The breakdown by country is (a) £1,610 million in England (b) £80 million in Wales (c) £160 million in Scotland and (d) £40 million in Northern Ireland. These figures are probably an overestimate since they assume that all businesses are closed on bank holidays; and that all employees, who do not work on bank holidays, are still paid.

Retail Sector (Start-up Assistance)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government sponsored financial assistance is available to those wishing to start an enterprise within the retail sector.

Nigel Griffiths: The SBS operates a number of programmes aimed at helping small businesses in all sectors (including start-ups) to obtain finance. These include: Regional Venture Capital Funds; the Phoenix Fund; and the soon to be launched Early Growth Funding programme.
	In addition, the SBS has been providing advisory support to start-up businesses identified with the potential for high growth. Since October 1999, some 8,500 pre and early start businesses have received support from Business Link Operators to assist them in reaching their high growth potential.
	The SBS is currently consulting across Government and with the business support organisations in the private and public sectors, on a comprehensive strategy for helping people to start a business. The SBS Consultation document of 6 May sets out the issues involved and invites proposals for how to address them. A key theme is the need for resources to be targeted to ensure high quality help is available to all who seek it. Following the consultation exercise in July, an action plan will be published in the Autumn to detail the steps that the Government and key stakeholders will take to help more people to start and grow a business.

Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether a decision has been made on whether to extend the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme to excluded sectors.

Nigel Griffiths: I have received representations from a variety of bodies over a period of time about the extension of the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme to excluded business activities. The Scheme is currently being considered as part of the DTI's wider review of business support.

Temporary Agency Workers

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make an announcement on the Commission proposal for a directive on temporary agency workers.

Alan Johnson: The Government will begin a 16-week public consultation on the Commission proposal for a directive on temporary agency workers from today. It will give interested parties an opportunity to comment on the Commission proposals and their likely impact on the UK.

Nuclear Waste Storage (Dounreay)

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with the UKAEA on the progress of construction of facilities at Dounreay for the long-term storage of nuclear waste.

Brian Wilson: None.

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the mandate of the European Energy and Transport Forum is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The European Energy and Transport Forum is a consultative committee which was established by the European Commission on 11 July 2001. Its purpose is to consider Commission initiatives in the field of energy and transport and gives its views. Its mandate is Commission Decision 2001/546/EC. The Forum comprises 34 members, including five from the UK. These were selected by a Commission process set out in Commission Decision 2001/C 205–06. The Forum has not yet met. When it does it will establish a programme of work that will, no doubt, include issues from the Commission White Paper on Transport and the Commission Green Paper on Energy Security. No costs to UK public funds arise from the Forum. More details are available on the EU website "http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy"-transport/en/forum en.html

Committee Mandates

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the mandate of the Consumer Committee is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if she will list the items currently under its consideration; if she will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Consumer Committee was established by the European Commission in its "Decision (2000/323/EC)" of 4 May 2000. The Committee's mandate is to:
	constitute a forum for general discussions on problems relating to consumer interests.
	give opinions on Community matters affecting the protection of consumer interests.
	advise and guide the Commission when it outlines policies and activities having an effect on consumers.
	inform the Commission of developments in consumer policy in the member states.
	act as a source of information and soundboard on Community action for the other national organizations.
	The Committee meets on average four times a year in Brussels.
	The Committee is composed of 20 member members and 20 alternates appointed by the Commission for a 3-year (renewable) mandate (1 per member state plus five representatives from the European consumer associations: AEC, ANEC, BEUC, COFACE, EURO COOP).
	The secretariat and the presidency of the Committee are held by the European Commission. There is no cost to the UK public funds.
	The items for consideration in the Committee are based on the requests for opinion made prior to each meeting by the Commission.
	The minutes of meetings and Committee Opinions are published on the European Commission website.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on what assistance is available to firms that expand beyond the definition of SME.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The Department has a range of support available for larger companies. This includes support for regional investment, innovation, collaborative research and development and knowledge transfer, exports and international trade and competitiveness activities in particular sectors such as the aerospace or automobile sectors. They also benefit from the Department's major investment in maintaining the excellence of the UK's science and engineering base.
	Details of the Department's activities in these areas are set out in DTI's expenditure plans report (Cm 5416) which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry submitted to Parliament on 14 June.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets have been sought from or set for each local authority for increasing use of renewable energy; and what funding is contingent upon the achievement of these targets.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 25 June 2002
	The Government are committed to promoting a positive and strategic approach to regional planning for renewable energy development in the UK. Last year, we initiated the preparation of regional studies, including regional assessments of the potential for renewables and targets, representing the practical capacity achievable in regions by 2010. These studies have now been completed and the findings were published by Oxera in February 2002. These findings have also been channelled to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's office, who are currently revising the Planning Policy Guidance Note, PPG22, to give local planning authorities more up-to-date guidance on renewables planning.
	I have also announced the allocation of £1.7 million worth of work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to take forward the facilitation of renewable energy planning. In addition, the Scottish Executive will continue to work with local authorities in Scotland on renewables planning. This is the first tranche of funding from the £2.5 million for planning announced by the PIU energy review. In addition to the DTI funding, the bids we received showed that matched funding of over £2 million can be expected from local organisations.
	That is a real boost to this work and a very encouraging indication of the interest being taken at local level in renewables planning. This fund will be used to support the development of sub-regional targets and to take forward initiatives such as good practice guidelines and further stakeholder engagement in renewable energy developments.
	The Renewables Obligation, which came into force on 1 April 2002, is the main instrument through which renewable energy development will be supported. The Obligation will be backed up by direct Government funding worth over £260 million for the period 2001–04, including the allocation of £74 million for the development of offshore wind projects, £78.5 million for the establishment of energy crops and biomass schemes and £20 million to kick-start a major solar PV demonstration scheme.

Insolvency Service

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets she has set the Insolvency Service executive agency for 2002–03.

Melanie Johnson: The Insolvency Service's planning assumption is that compulsory insolvencies will total 28,000 in the year to 31 March 2003, and I have therefore set it the target of completing 28,500 case administrations in the year to 31 March 2003 and to maintain the levels of Income Payment Orders achieved.
	I have set the Service two new targets for 2002–03. The first is to publish quarterly results of the Service's User Satisfaction Index and introduce a benchmark score by 31 March 2003; and the second is to achieve IiP re-accreditation in the autumn of 2002.
	I have also set it the targets of containing increases in the unit cost of administering bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases by 1 per cent. in real terms over the period 2002–04; and containing increases in the cost of investigations of bankruptcy and compulsory liquidation cases by 10 per cent. in real terms over the period 2002–04. These increases reflect plans by the Service to invest in information technology and staff resources to prepare for implementation of the Enterprise Bill and are expected to generate net reductions in unit costs over a five-year period.
	I expect the Service to continue to achieve the levels of proceedings for disqualification taken against unfit directors as in previous years and reports on cases of criminal misconduct as in 2001–02. At the same time I look to the Service reducing the average time of the conclusion of disqualification proceedings arising from non-compulsory insolvencies from 27.5 months to 26 months by 31 March 2003; and to increasing the percentage of disqualification cases concluded within 30 months from 72 per cent. to 78 per cent. and those within 24 months from 33 per cent. to 40 per cent.
	I also expect the Service to check and action at least 98 per cent. of Insolvency Services Account payment requisitions within four days or the due date, and to action 100 per cent. of invoices for payment within 30 days of receipt and 95 per cent. of invoices for payment within 20 days.

SCOTLAND

Employment Statistics

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were in employment (a) at the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in May 1997 for each constituency in Scotland.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Eric Joyce, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment in Scotland. (61304)
	ONS publishes employment rates but not levels from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for parliamentary constituencies.
	The attached table gives estimates of working age employment rates for each constituency in Scotland for the periods March 1997 to February 1998, and March 2000 to February 2001. These estimates are from the LFS and are not seasonally adjusted.
	
		Annual working age(56) employment rates(57) by parliamentary constituency; Scotland; March 1997 to February 1998 and March 2000 to February 2001; not seasonally adjusted -- Per cent
		
			  March 1997 to February 1998 March 2000 to February 2001 
		
		
			 Scotland 71.0 73.1 
			
			 Aberdeen Central 74.2 70.5 
			 Aberdeen North 81.8 81.5 
			 Aberdeen South 81.1 81.8 
			 Airdrie and Shotts 66.0 62.2 
			 Angus 78.7 77.3 
			 Argyll and Bute 70.7 71.2 
			 Ayr 77.2 70.0 
			 Banff and Buchan 72.8 77.5 
			 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 66.3 77.5 
			 Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley 65.0 67.7 
			 Central Fife 66.8 70.2 
			 Clydebank and Milngavie 68.1 68.6 
			 Clydesdale 70.4 73.3 
			 Coatbridge and Chryston 62.2 64.6 
			 Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 70.5 71.2 
			 Cunninghame North 66.5 66.7 
			 Cunninghame South 64.4 69.9 
			 Dumbarton 73.3 72.2 
			 Dumfries 71.6 72.4 
			 Dundee East 70.4 69.9 
			 Dundee West 64.9 61.3 
			 Dunfermline East 71.9 75.8 
			 Dunfermline West 78.8 78.5 
			 East Kilbride 75.2 84.0 
			 East Lothian 73.9 72.6 
			 Eastwood 81.6 79.4 
			 Edinburgh Central 64.7 76.1 
			 Edinburgh East and Musselburgh 76.9 71.8 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith 72.4 78.3 
			 Edinburgh Pentlands 77.3 81.2 
			 Edinburgh South 66.5 66.0 
			 Edinburgh West 76.7 80.8 
			 Falkirk East 73.3 78.6 
			 Falkirk West 74.3 74.4 
			 Galloway and Upper Nithsdale 68.5 74.6 
			 Glasgow Anniesland 60.2 71.7 
			 Glasgow Baillieston 55.5 59.9 
			 Glasgow Cathcart 64.5 70.4 
			 Glasgow Govan 69.1 61.5 
			 Glasgow Kelvin 66.6 60.6 
			 Glasgow Maryhill 49.1 58.7 
			 Glasgow Pollok 57.9 64.4 
			 Glasgow Rutherglen 64.0 63.5 
			 Glasgow Shettleston 48.6 54.3 
			 Glasgow Springburn 49.7 57.4 
			 Gordon 85.5 84.1 
			 Greenock and Inverclyde 73.2 76.8 
			 Hamilton North and Bellshill 66.0 70.9 
			 Hamilton South 61.0 61.9 
			 Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber 77.2 79.5 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 64.1 72.4 
			 Kirkcaldy 73.3 66.7 
			 Linlithgow 79.4 78.6 
			 Livingston 81.2 78.6 
			 Midlothian 78.2 80.0 
			 Moray 71.7 79.6 
			 Motherwell and Wishaw 64.7 59.8 
			 North East Fife 71.0 78.7 
			 North Tayside 77.5 82.1 
			 Ochil 65.4 67.3 
			 Orkney and Shetland 81.3 87.3 
			 Paisley North 63.3 63.4 
			 Paisley South 71.4 79.2 
			 Perth 78.4 81.6 
			 Ross, Skye and Inverness West 77.2 77.4 
			 Roxburgh and Berwickshire 75.8 84.2 
			 Stirling 72.6 71.7 
			 Strathkelvin and Bearsden 76.7 74.1 
			 Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale 79.5 84.7 
			 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 76.1 85.2 
			 West Renfrewshire 76.0 81.6 
			 Western Isles 78.9 78.5 
		
	
	(56) Men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59
	(57) Working age people in employment as a percentage of the working age population
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey, Annual Data

NORTHERN IRELAND

Terrorists

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his plans to inform persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities that their cases will not be pursued.

John Reid: We are still considering how best to implement the proposals which we and the Irish Government made in relation to this following the Weston Park talks. In the meantime, any inquiries received in relation to individuals wishing to establish whether they are wanted in Northern Ireland in relation to suspected terrorist activities have been communicated to the Attorney- General, who has referred them to the prosecuting authorities and the police.

Terrorists

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities have been informed by the Northern Ireland Office since 10 April 1998 that they are no longer wanted by the prosecuting authorities;
	(2)  how many people residing outside the United Kingdom and suspected of involvement in terrorist activities have been informed by the Northern Ireland Office since 10 April 1998 that if they return to any part of the United Kingdom their cases will not be pursued by the prosecuting authorities.

John Reid: As a result of inquiries received and referred to the prosecuting authorities and the police, 32 individuals have been informed over the past two years that they are not wanted for arrest in relation to terrorist offences. In accordance with the policy announced by my predecessor on 29 September 2000, an additional 25 persons, who had left Northern Ireland without completing their sentences, have been informed since then that they can return to Northern Ireland without serving more time in custody and that the prosecuting authorities and police have confirmed they will not face fresh charges.

Terrorists

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities will benefit from the provisions contained in paragraph 20 of the joint proposals published by the British and Irish Governments on 1 August 2001;
	(2)  how many people stand to benefit from the measures envisaged in paragraph 20 of the joint communique issued by her Majesty's Government and the Government of the Irish Republic on 1 August 2001 following their meeting at Weston Park.

Jane Kennedy: The British and Irish Governments recognised at the talks at Weston Park last summer that the issue of terrorists on the run needed to be dealt with. Paragraph 20 of the joint communique made following those talks committed both Governments to taking steps to resolve this issue. The Government stands by that commitment and is considering the options for discharging it. Until the Government have concluded how best to resolve the matter, it is not possible to give a reliable estimate of how many people it would effect.

Evelyn Glenholmes

Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the decision was taken not to proceed with outstanding prosecutions against Evelyn Glenholmes; at which point she was informed of this decision; and if he will place the relevant correspondence in the Library.

John Reid: Ms Glenholmes' case was reviewed in 1995 by the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales. He concluded that the evidence against her was insufficient and that the outstanding prosecution and extradition request to the Republic of Ireland should be dropped. Inquiries were made on her behalf in 2000 in the light of her wish to return to Northern Ireland. She was informed that there were no outstanding prosecutions against her.

Annual Leave

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in his Department in 2002.

Jane Kennedy: The average annual leave allowance entitlement of Northern Ireland civil servants and home civil servants in 2002 was 26 days.
	Annual leave allowances are as follows:
	Probationers
	22 days allowance (increasing to 25 days after one year in service or on appointment if there has been a previous period of casual service providing there has been no break in service exceeding 12 months).
	Full time staff
	25 days during qualifying period
	Grade A
	30 days after 10 years service
	Grade B1
	30 days after 10 years service
	Grade B2
	30 days after 15 years service
	Grade D2-C
	30 days after 20 years service
	Senior civil servants
	30 days on entry to the service.

Members of Parliament (Personal Data)

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is held by his Department on each hon. Member in relation to (a) personal relationships, both current and past, (b) financial status and dealings, (c) connections with companies and interest groups, (d) connections with Governments and (e) published works; and what was held in January 2002.

Jane Kennedy: Ministers and officials in this Department have access to published reference sources, as well as to the information about hon. Members made publicly available by the House authorities, for the purpose of parliamentary business.

Police and Prison Officer Fatalities

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those members of the (a) RUC and (b) Northern Ireland Prison Service who resided in the Ards borough council area and have been killed in the line of duty since 1972.

Jane Kennedy: The PSNI does not maintain records of the address at the date of the death or by council area. If a next of kin changes address after the death the previous address is deleted from the system. The information provided in the table is therefore based on that currently available and should not be taken as being definitive.
	Records are not maintained of the addresses of members of the Northern Ireland Prison Service who were killed in the line of duty. However, since 1972, 29 members of the Northern Ireland Prison Service have been killed.
	
		Members of the RUC killed in the Ards borough council area since 1972
		
			 Name Rank Number Date of death 
		
		
			 S. J. Montgomery Constable 14875 7 September 1981 
			 S. A. Fyffe Sergeant 13620 4 November 1983 
			 W. McDonald Sergeant 11363 12 August 1984 
			 S. C. McHenry Reserve Constable R12176 28 February 1985 
			 W. L. Smyth Constable 14417 22 May 1986 
			 D. E. Patterson Constable 11352 10 November 1986 
			 L. M. Robinson Constable 10395 16 September 1990 
			 S. Todd Constable 13206 15 October 1990 
			 S. Gillespie Constable 13296 2 May 1991

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sudan

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department is responsible for co-ordinating the Government's policy on the peace process in Sudan.

Clare Short: The day-to-day co-ordination of UK Government policy on the Sudan peace process is led by Alan Goulty, UK Special Representative for Sudan. Alan Goulty reports jointly to both the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development. He is supported by a joint DFID/FCO team, the Sudan Unit.

Sudan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan regarding the legalisation of female genital mutilation.

Clare Short: Our embassy in Khartoum has made representations at ministerial level in Khartoum, both bilaterally and in co-ordination with EU Partners, on the Sudanese Government's reported plans to legalise female genital mutilation (FGM). The Government of Sudan reassured us that there were no plans to legalise the practice. The embassy also works closely with Sudanese civil society groups in advocating the eradication of FGM. It forms part of the campaign for ratification of the UN Convention on the Eradication of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in which we have actively supported the growing women's rights movement and UN attempts to address these issues. In particular, our embassy has ongoing contact with UNICEF. We have also funded various projects aimed at eradication of FGM, including the national advocacy campaign for 2002–03.

Uganda

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the level and impact of her Department's financial support for the Education Management Information System in Uganda.

Clare Short: DFID's financial and technical support for the Education Management Information System (EMIS) in Uganda has achieved a high level of impact and has contributed greatly to improved decision making in education and the establishment of a rational well-managed education system.

European Heads of Government Meeting

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the outcome of the European Heads of Government Meeting in Seville on 21 and 22 June regarding trade and development.

Clare Short: The meeting of European Heads of Government at Seville considered trade and development in the context of the EU's preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development which will be held in Johannesburg later this year.
	It was agreed that the EU should continue to seek a comprehensive and timely conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda, in order to increase the benefits of trade liberalisation as an engine for the sustainable development of developing countries, and support efforts to create regional free-trade areas between them. The EU will invite other developed countries to join its positive agenda on globalisation, trade and finance to help developing countries benefit from access to developed—country markets so that globalisation can work to the advantage of all.

European Heads of Government Meeting

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the outcome of the European Council Meeting in Seville on 21 and 22 June regarding trade and development.

Clare Short: The meeting of European Heads of Government at Seville considered trade and development in the context of the EU's preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development which will be held in Johannesburg later this year.
	It was agreed that the EU should continue to seek a comprehensive and timely conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda, in order to increase the benefits of trade liberalisation as an engine for the sustainable development of developing countries, and support efforts to create regional free-trade areas between them. The EU will invite other developed countries to join its positive agenda on globalisation, trade and finance, to help developing countries benefit from access to developed- country markets so that globalisation can work to the advantage of all.

Arms Trade (Indian Sub-continent)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which licence applications her Department has examined for arms exports to (a) Pakistan and (b) India since January 2000; and how many her Department (i) supported and (ii) opposed.

Clare Short: Along with the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence my Department provides advice to the Department of Trade and Industry on relevant export licence applications.
	The advice given to the Department of Trade and Industry is exempt from disclosure under Part II, Section 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, as information whose disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Millennium Development Goals

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on progress towards the millennium development goals.

Clare Short: Latest forecasts from the World Bank suggest that globally, meeting the 2015 target of halving the proportion of people living in extreme poverty is attainable. There has been progress. During the 1990s, the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day in the developing world fell from 29 per cent. in 1990 to 23 per cent. in 1999. This was mainly due to the substantial progress made during the 1990s in east Asia and, in particular, China.
	In the developing world, progress has also been made during the 1990s against almost all the other 2015 millennium development targets. The proportion of children completing a full course of primary school increased from 68 per cent. to 73 per cent.; the under-five mortality rate decreased from 88 to 84 deaths per 1,000 births; and the proportion of people with access to an improved water source increased from 73 per cent. to 79 per cent.
	However, to meet all of the 2015 targets we must do more. The sub-Saharan African region presents the biggest challenge to meeting the 2015 targets. We therefore need to make an enormous effort internationally to accelerate progress in Africa.
	A detailed description of progress towards all the 2015 targets is contained in a recent World Bank publication: "World Development Indicators 2002", which can be found at the following website: http://www.worldbank.org/data/ wdi2002/worldview.pdf

Development Partner Countries

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if updated data on the gender disparity in secondary education in UK development partner countries have been published.

Clare Short: We expect updated data on gender disparity in secondary education in developing countries to be published by the World Bank within the next two months. We will then use it to update our reporting against our Public Service Agreement targets.

Development Partner Countries

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the nature of the problems with the data on primary education in UK development partner countries that are published by the World bank.

Clare Short: There are difficulties both in the coverage and the timeliness of primary education data compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and published by the World bank, for some of the major UK development partner countries.
	The problems with coverage which we have encountered in reporting against the Public Service Agreement targets are due partly to the difficulty of calculating net primary enrolment rates (ie proportion of children of primary school age in school), often due to lack of data on the ages of children in school. Gross enrolment data (which use the total number of children in school regardless of age) are relatively easy to obtain for most countries, but do not give a clear picture of the number of children who are out of school.
	In some countries the reliability of the pupil data is also questionable due either to lack of technical capacity, poor school record keeping, or, in a few cases, political manipulation of the figures. Calculating net enrolment rates also requires figures for the population of school age children, which are often based on out-of-date census data. Where there are doubts about the reliability of either the pupil or population figures, UNESCO can often either decline to publish figures for a country, or revise earlier figures.
	For most countries, it can take a long time for data produced at country level to be provided to international bodies (principally the UNESCO Institute for Statistics), be verified by them and published in international reports. For example, the latest officially published net primary enrolment figure for Uganda is 57 per cent. although we knew from our work in country that the figure is much higher and is probably over 85 per cent. This published figure is more than five years old.
	We are working at country level and with the World bank and UNESCO Institute of Statistics to improve the availability of timely data on primary education to assist with policy making, both for developing countries and for bilateral donors and the international community.

United Nations Development Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress of the work of the United Nations Development Programme in HIV/AIDS.

Clare Short: UNDP, as one of the co-sponsoring organisations of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), plays an important role in helping create enabling policy, legislative and resource environments for an effective multisectoral response to the epidemic. UNDP's key areas for action lie in supporting developing countries to take effective leadership, in developing capacity for action, promoting a rights-based approach and in impact mitigation.

United Nations Development Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the progress of the work of the United Nations Development Programme in energy and the environment.

Clare Short: DFID is providing support to UNDP's Poverty and Environment initiative, which aims to ensure that 'win-win' options for reducing poverty while improving the environment are reflected in the strategies and practices of developing country Governments and their international partners. We are supportive of the work of UNDP as an implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility and of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. We are also supportive of UNDP's co-sponsorship of Energy Sector Management Programme (ESMAP) and their work in the Global Village Energy Partnership.

United Nations Development Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme about the progress of its work on poverty reduction.

Clare Short: I met UNDP's Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, in Monterrey in March. We discussed a range of issues, including UNDP's work to promote the Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction.

United Nations Development Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the United Nations Development Programme about the progress of its work on democratic governance.

Clare Short: Democratic Governance is one of UNDP's six priority action areas, and an area that DFID also prioritises in its work. I last had discussions with UNDP's administrator, Mark Malloch Brown, on this and other issues at the UN's Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) in Monterrey in March 2002.
	My officials work closely with UNDP colleagues on democratic governance programmes in a number of partner countries. There is also regular contact between headquarters staff. For example, last month DFID's Chief Governance Adviser and other governance advisers met with the resident experts working at UNDP's newly established Thematic Facility on Governance, based in Oslo, Norway.
	I have also accepted an invitation from UNDP to speak at the launch in July of their 2002 Human Development Report which has as its main theme the examination of the challenges of democratic governance and development.

Afghanistan

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the withdrawal of female foreign aid workers from field operations in northern Afghanistan.

Clare Short: We are concerned about reports of insecurity in northern Afghanistan, including sexual attacks on women aid workers. The United Nations temporarily suspended the involvement of female staff on field missions in the north, but this suspension has now been lifted. Some non-governmental organisations have withdrawn staff as a precautionary measure. We support the actions of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Lakhdar Brahimi, who has written to President Karzai, and visited the north to discuss security issues with the various factions.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's response has been to the (a) World Food Programme and (b) UNHCR donor appeals for Afghanistan.

Clare Short: The UN World Food Programme's (WFP) current appeal is for $285 million (approximately £204 million) to feed up to 9.8 million people for nine months. Since October 2001, my Department has contributed £7 million towards WFP's operations inside Afghanistan—for both direct procurement and transportation of food, technical support and logistical support to help speed up the movement of food aid into the country.
	We have also provided £3 million to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in response to its $271 million (approximately £194 million) appeal to support its operations for refugees in the region. This has included technical personnel, material and financial support.
	We have allocated a further £2 million each to WFP and UNHCR, which will be disbursed shortly.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the financial assistance committed by the United Kingdom Government to the reconstruction of Afghanistan has been disbursed since April, broken down by UN agency.

Clare Short: Since April the UK has given £5 million to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, the first donor to do so. In addition we have allocated over £10 million to UNAMA, UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and WHO and are currently in discussion with them to identify where the money might best be used. We are also in the process of disbursing £15 million to a range of NGOs, quick-impact projects and to the Afghan Authority for the Co-ordination of Assistance.

Afghanistan

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her assessment is of the food security situation in Afghanistan.

Clare Short: The food security situation throughout Afghanistan remains grave, as a result of decades of conflict and four years of drought. These shocks have overwhelmed the capacity of Afghan communities to cope with the loss of agriculture and livestock production, unemployment and burgeoning debt burdens. Afghanistan currently meets less than half of its national grain requirements, and around half its population is dependent on food aid. However, improved security and political stability will help provide a better environment for the efforts to improve food security in the country. Since October 2001, my Department has contributed £7 million to the World Food Programme and £2 million to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, for the provision of both emergency food aid and measures to increase food security.

Food Shortage (Southern Africa)

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to tackle the shortage of food in southern Africa.

Clare Short: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 17 June 2002, Official Report, columns 58–59W.

Cotonou Agreement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the improvements in the development, trade and political relationship between the EU and Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific that will be achieved by the Cotonou Agreement.

Clare Short: The ACP-EU Partnership Agreement, often referred to as the Cotonou Agreement, was signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000. Pending ratification by all member states and two thirds of the ACP states, it will enter into effect.
	The Cotonou Agreement is the successor to the Lomé Conventions. It marks the most important revision of the relationship between EU and the ACP states since the first Lomé Convention was signed in 1975. It provides an overall framework for political dialogue, development co-operation and trade relations with 78 developing countries. Together with the wider on-going reform of EC development assistance, the Cotonou Agreement is a step towards improving the European Community contribution to the meeting of the millennium development goals.
	Most importantly, the Cotonou Agreement has established poverty reduction as its central aim. Respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law together with the importance of good governance underpin the agreement and have been given much more emphasis than in past relations. A process for consultations and possible action has been defined if these basic elements of the agreement have been breached. The principle of partnership between EU and ACP states has also been reaffirmed in the agreement, supporting the emphasis on mutual responsibility and dialogue. Likewise, consultations with civil society in all aspects of the implementation of the agreement have been put to the fore.
	One of the most important aspects of Cotonou is the new trade deal between EU and the ACP, whereby ACP's access to the EU market will be maximised while promoting their gradual integration into the global economy. The EU is now committed to open its markets to a substantial block of developing countries.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the EU Committee on implementation of the programme of assistance to promote the transition to a market economy and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the partner states of eastern Europe and central Asia (Tacis) is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive have been members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The next meeting of the Tacis Committee is scheduled for 24 July 2002.
	Schedule 5 of the 1998 Scottish Act sets out areas of policy that are reserved, that is, where responsibility has not been devolved to the Scottish Executive. Section 7(1) of schedule 5 states:
	"International relations, including relations with territories outside the United Kingdom, the European Communities (and their institutions) and other international organisations, regulation of international trade, and international development assistance and co-operation are reserved matters".
	The United Kingdom is represented on the Tacis Committee by officials from my Department and by members of staff from the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the EU Committee on financial and technical assistance and economic cooperation with developing countries in Asia and Latin America is next due to meet, what the UK representation is on it, whether representatives of the Scottish Executive have been members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The next meeting of the EU Committee on financial and technical assistance and economic co-operation with developing countries in Asia and Latin America (ALA) is scheduled for 18 July 2002.
	Schedule 5 of the 1998 Scottish Act sets out areas of policy that are reserved, that is, where responsibility has not been devolved to the Scottish Executive. Section 7 (1) of Schedule 5 states:
	"International relations, including relations with territories outside the United Kingdom, the European Communities (and their institutions) and other international organisations, regulation of international trade, and international development assistance and co-operation are reserved matters."
	The United Kingdom is represented on the ALA Committee by officials from the Department for International Development.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the EU MED Committee (financial and technical cooperation between the Community and Mediterranean non-member countries) is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive have been members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The next meeting of the EU MED Committee is scheduled for 17 July 2002.
	Schedule 5 of the 1998 Scottish Act sets out areas of policy that are reserved, that is, where responsibility has not been devolved to the Scottish Executive. Section 7 (1) of Schedule 5 states:
	"International relations, including relations with territories outside the United Kingdom, the European Communities (and their institutions) and other international organisations, regulation of international trade, and international development assistance and co-operation are reserved matters."
	The United Kingdom is represented on the MED Committee by officials from the Department for International Development.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the EU Committee on aid for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive have been members of it; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The next meeting of the EU CARDS Committee on aid for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is scheduled for 24 October 2002.
	Schedule 5 of the 1998 Scottish Act sets out areas of policy that are reserved, that is, where responsibility has not been devolved to the Scottish Executive. Section 7 (1) of Schedule 5 states:
	"International relations, including relations with territories outside the United Kingdom, the European Communities (and their institutions) and other international organisations, regulation of international trade, and international development assistance and co-operation are reserved matters."
	The United Kingdom is represented on the CARDS Committee by officials from the Department for International Development.

Commission on Intellectual Property Rights

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the conclusions were of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights.

Clare Short: The Commission on Intellectual Property Rights report is due to be launched in mid-September, DFID will receive an embargoed copy one week prior to this. Conclusions will not be publicised before the launch date.

Western Sahara

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support has been given in each of the past five years to the refugee camps of the Sahrawi people of the Western Sahara.

Clare Short: Our support to the refugees from the Western Sahara is mostly channelled through the European Commission's Humanitarian aid Office (ECHO).
	
		Total ECHO assistance to Sahrawi refugees in the Western Sahara
		
			  Euro 000 
		
		
			 1997 7,000 
			 1998 17,200 
			 1999 7,500 
			 2000 13,935 
			 2001 15,570 
		
	
	Source:
	ECHO Global Plan 2002.
	Approximately 19 per cent. of this support is attributable to contributions from the UK.
	We also contribute to the budgets of UNHCR and WFP who cooperate closely with ECHO in providing support to the Sahrawi refugees. In addition in 1997–98 we provided £79,000 in direct humanitarian assistance.

Poverty

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the comprehensiveness of her Department's poverty reduction strategies in recognising the multidimensional nature of poverty.

Clare Short: The Government's first and second White Papers on International Development clearly recognise the multidimensional nature of poverty and commit us to supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). My Department has set out comprehensive strategy papers for achieving the MDGs and thus reducing poverty. These papers provide DFID with the necessary skills and knowledge it needs to engage with partner government and support their efforts to implement nationally owned and administered plans for reducing poverty.

HEALTH

Heroin

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a report on the average waiting time for treatment for heroin addiction in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002 in (i) Sunderland, (ii) Manchester, (iii) Birmingham, (iv) Teesside and (v) Central London; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Department commissioned an England-wide research project into waiting times for substitute prescribing and in-patient detoxification for opiate users in 2000. The project is due to report this summer.
	Average waiting times for drug treatment services in 2001 in the areas requested are given in the table. This is the latest data available, and comparative data are not available for earlier years.
	
		
			Community prescribing by:  Structured:  
			 Average waiting time (weeks) by drug action team area In-patient detoxification Specialist  GPs Counselling  Day care Residential rehabilitation 
		
		
			 Sunderland (58)— 5 (58)— 6 2 2 
			 Manchester 26 4 2 4 4 4 
			 Birmingham 24 24 8 8 1 4 
			 Teesside   
			 Middlesbrough 0 6 4 0 (58)— 2 
			 Hartlepool 12 10 (58)— (58)— 0 12 
			 Stockton 7 20 1 0 0 7 
			 Central London   
			 Camden 5 42 8 3 8 8 
			 City of London 6 23 6 4 1 3 
			 Hackney 4 23 2 2 2 4 
			 Islington 5 41 8 11 7 21 
			 Lambeth 28 25 2 1 8 4 
			 Lewisham 22 5 4 3 8 (58)— 
			 Southwark 29 25 4 3 8 12 
			 Tower Hamlets 10 12 6 6 2 14 
			 Waltham Forest 6 3 (58)— 0 0 0 
			 Wandsworth 10 2 0 0 4 4 
		
	
	(58) Information not supplied
	The national treatment agency for substance misuse issued waiting times guidance to drug action teams in March 2002. This sets out recommended maximum waiting times for each type of treatment, and the national treatment agency is monitoring the progress of drug action teams in working towards these. In April 2002, each health authority area received an uplift in central funding for drug treatment of at least 30 per cent. to support this work.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to the announcement by his Department on 4 February, regarding the assessment of multiple sclerosis patients, who will be responsible for arranging the tests;
	(2)  when the payment by results agreement on drugs for treating multiple sclerosis will come into effect.

Hazel Blears: The UK health departments have reached agreement with manufacturers on a risk-sharing scheme for the supply of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis on the national health service to patients who meet criteria set by the Association of British Neurologists (ABN). Full details of the scheme were issued in Health Service Circular (HSC) 2002/004 on 4 February 2002. The scheme started on 6 May 2002 for those centres with the appropriate infrastructure in place. Some centres will start later depending on the work that has to be undertaken to set up specialist clinics.
	The scheme involves groups of patients being specifically monitored over the lifetime of the scheme to confirm the cost-effectiveness of these treatments. Monitoring of patients and potential price adjustments under the scheme are expected to continue over 10 years.
	The ABN recommends that initial assessments be undertaken by designated consultants to whom patients should be referred by other neurologists, not directly by general practitioners. The precise service arrangements and referral protocols will be for local agreement taking into account the current spread of specialist services.

Acquired Brain Injury

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to ensure that rehabilitation services for those with acquired brain injury are maintained in advance of the National Service Framework provision;
	(2)  what plans he has to improve access to vocational rehabilitation for individuals with acquired brain injury.

Jacqui Smith: Recently announced budget settlements for the national health service (annual average increase of 7.5 per cent. above inflation over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08) and personal social services (PSS) (annual average increase of 6.0 per cent. above inflation over the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06), will provide the investment needed to support services which best meet patients' and users' needs.
	The national service framework for long-term conditions and the clinical guideline on the initial assessment, management and first referral of patients with head injury that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence is developing will help improve access to rehabilitation services for people with acquired brain injury generally.
	The Government are investing in job retention and rehabilitation pilots which will evaluate the relative effectiveness of health and employment strategies in supporting people with long-term conditions to remain in or return to work.

Acquired Brain Injury

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 788W, what plans he has to assess the number of people who successfully return to work following a brain injury.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not plan on assessing the number of people who return to work after a head injury.
	However, jobcentre plus management information systems monitor the outcomes (including job entries) of its services and programmes for disabled people including those with brain injury.
	We are keen to help ensure that disabled people, including those with head injury, are able to return to work whenever possible. Currently local authorities are taking the lead on joint investment plans on the welfare to work for disabled people initiative. The idea of these plans is to provide effective and joined-up services for disabled people who want to work, to stay in work, or to move closer to the world of work.

Acquired Brain Injury

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Department of Work and Pensions in relation to vocational rehabilitation for individuals with acquired brain injury.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has held no discussions with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) specifically in relation to vocational rehabilitation for individuals with acquired brain injury. However, the Department is playing an active role in agenda, working in partnership with DWP on job retention and rehabilitation pilots, health and work and joint investment plans for disabled people.

Head Injury

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those meetings that have taken place in the last 12 months with the voluntary and professional organisations involved in rehabilitation services for people with head injury.

Jacqui Smith: Last November, the Department held a scoping workshop to inform the development of the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions. A wide range of stakeholders, including professional and voluntary organisations, patients and service users, carers and experts attended the workshop. This included those with a particular interest in rehabilitation service for people with head injury, including Headway, the UK acquired brain injury forum (UKABIF), and the British society of rehabilitation medicine (BSRM).
	The NSF project team has also visited hospital based rehabilitation units across England including Leeds, London, Cambridge and Wakefield.
	Additionally, departmental officials have held separate meetings with representatives of Headway (October 2001 and April 2002) and the UKABIF (April 2002).

Care Homes

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when care home providers received the requests for information and documents required by the care home regulations; and by which date the providers were required to respond.

Jacqui Smith: The Care Homes Regulations 2001 were laid before Parliament on 12 December 2001 and came into effect on 1 April 2002. The regulations were contained in booklets setting out the national minimum standards for care homes for older people and for care homes for younger adults and adult placements, published by the Department. In March 2002, the Department issued order forms along with guidance on the Care Standards Act directly to providers who were already registered. The National Care Standards Commission issued, from February 2002, application packs to providers not previously registered and new to regulation. Those applying to register care homes were required to respond by 31 March 2002. As some delays occurred in issuing registration packs, the National Care Standards Commission has not penalised any care home which has responded after that date.

Care Homes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the level of service available to care home owners from (a) the National Care Standards Commission and (b) the Criminal Records Bureau.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 June 2002
	I am satisfied that the National Care Standards Commission has made good progress in getting up to speed with its responsibilities, taking account of its extremely large initial workload and the transitional arrangements relating to the commission's establishment. The Department has regular formal and informal monitoring arrangements in respect of the commission's performance.
	Measures are being taken to overcome the early operating difficulties experienced by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), which have led to delays in responding to applications for disclosures. We are determined that the CRB will be in a position as soon as possible to meet the high standards of service that it has made clear it will deliver to its customers. The short-term implications for particular service areas using the CRB service are being closely monitored.

Care Homes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when there will be an investigation of the impact of inspection costs linked to the transfer of free nursing care to care homes.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The Department is currently consulting on amendments to the Care Homes Regulations 2001. There are no specific plans to investigate the inspection costs to the National Care Standards Commission as a result of these. The overall costs of inspection are monitored routinely by the Department.

Care Homes

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the differences between the full costs of operating efficient, good quality care in care homes and the average fees paid by local authorities.

Jacqui Smith: In October 2001 the Government published an agreement, "Building Capacity and Partnership in Care", which states that: "Fee setting must take into account the legitimate current and future costs faced by providers as well as the factors that affect these costs and the potential for improving performance and more effective ways of working". We expect councils to follow this advice when setting the costs of care. According to independent consultants, Laing and Buisson, the vast majority of councils have recently agreed fee increases in excess of 3 per cent. and some councils have agreed much higher increases—one third of councils increased fees by in excess of 10 per cent.

Care Homes

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a care home modernisation grant payable to local authorities to be paid in line with local care homes' compliance with national minimal standards.

Jacqui Smith: Decisions about the distribution of resources to local councils for personal social services are likely to be announced later this year.

NHS Cancer Plan

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 10 May 2002, Official Report, column 401W, on the NHS Cancer Plan, what consultations he undertook and what representations he received prior to developing the two-week-wait target for cancer diagnosis in the NHS Cancer Plan.

Hazel Blears: A cancer waiting times multi-disciplinary working group met in 1997. The group made recommendations to improve access to cancer services including the need to set specific waiting time targets for all stages of the patient journey. The first of these was the introduction of the two week out-patient waiting times standard. The NHS Cancer Plan introduced further targets to reduce the time patients have to wait for diagnosis and treatment.

Weight

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether overweight and obesity has decreased since the setting of milestones for its reduction within the national health service framework for coronary heart disease.

Hazel Blears: The annual health survey for England provides information on the prevalence of overweight and obesity for the general population. Based on figures from the health survey for England 2000, the year for which the latest data are available, 45 per cent. of men are overweight and 21 per cent. obese, and 34 per cent. of women are overweight and 21 per cent. obese.
	The national service framework for coronary heart disease was published in March 2000. Pending the publication of data for the years 2001 and 2002 no information exists to determine the national impact of the milestones.

Weight

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collated on the health promotion milestones set within the national service framework for coronary heart disease in relation to obesity and overweight.

Hazel Blears: It is the role of strategic health authorities to manage the performance of primary care trusts against the milestones of national service frameworks (NSF).
	However the Department has commissioned work to review local activity relevant to the prevention aspects of the national service framework for coronary heart disease.
	The results suggest that implementation of local prevention programmes and the availability of quantitative data in response to the NSF has been variable. As a first step in addressing this the Department is preparing a handbook aimed at helping primary care professionals to deliver the NSFs.

Weight

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered patients in England had a recorded body mass index of above 35 in (a) April 2001 and (b) April 2002.

Hazel Blears: Although we do not hold data centrally on the body mass index (BMI) of registered patients, data are available on the BMI of the general population. The health survey for England for the year 2000 provides the most up to date information on the prevalence of overweight (BMI 25–30) and obesity (BMI over 30) among UK adults. The Survey found that 45 per cent. of men are overweight and 21 per cent. obese, and 34 per cent. of women are overweight and 21 per cent. obese.
	The national centre for social research hold data for BMI above 35 but these data are not published as part of the health survey for England.

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he and Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the last three months.

Jacqui Smith: The then Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for Public Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my noble Friend the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, met Professor David Hall, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on 19 March this year to discuss neonatal care.
	Also on the 23 April this year I met with the Children's Taskforce.

Home-based Care

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people the Government estimate are in care homes but who could be treated in their own homes; and what targets they have for increasing capacity for home-based care.

Jacqui Smith: The NHS Plan, published in July 2000, set a target to increase by 2004 the numbers of people helped to live in their own home by 50,000 through home care and other support.
	The Department does not collect information about people currently in care homes, who might be cared for in their own home.

Chiropody

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the findings of Feet First II were; and if he will make a statement on his response to the review.

Jacqui Smith: We currently have no plans to publish any findings from the review of "Feet First".
	In April 2001 the then Minister responsible for the policy area, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton), made a statement about the review in his response to a question from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Mr. Stunell). I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 April 2001, Official Report, volume 366, column 604W.

Asthma

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the trend in the incidence of asthma in children.

Jacqui Smith: The reasons for the increase in the prevalence of asthma among children (and adults) particularly over the past 30 years are largely unknown and are likely to be due to a number of different factors including an over-sensitivity to substances that irritate the airways, and deterioration in air quality
	Due to the rise in the prevalence of asthma and the fact that the causes remain unknown, the Government have and continue to sponsor research in this area. Research is continuing both on asthma in general and on possible links between outdoor and indoor air pollution and asthma. The Medical Research Council always welcomes high quality applications from the scientific community for support into any aspect of biomedical research and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. The Department's spend on directly commissioned research projects on asthma since 1997 is an estimated £7.24 million.
	The national service framework (NSF) for children will be setting standards to improve the health and healthcare of children and young people. Asthma will be considered in depth from prevention through to an acute attack within the work on the NSF.

GPs

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are served, on average, by each general practitioner in the North West.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the list.
	North West
	1. NHS Plan GPs—3,722
	2. Unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs)—3,595
	3. Population—6,608,382
	NHS Plan GPs per 100,000 population—56. 3
	UPEs per 100,000 population—54.4
	Notes:
	1. NHS plan GPs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (para. 52 of the statement of fees and allowances) and PMS others;
	2. UPEs include GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs; and population data based on 2,000 ONS population projections; and
	3. Population data based on 2,000 ONS population projections.
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Herbal Remedies

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths occurred in each of the past five years as a result of the use of traditional or herbal remedies.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible reliably to estimate the number of deaths attributable to the use of traditional or herbal remedies.
	The yellow card scheme provides for voluntary reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions by doctors, dentists, coroners and pharmacists. It was extended to include all herbal products in October 1996.
	The table provides details of the number of reports received each year since 1997 in relation to herbal products as well as the number of reports with a fatal outcome.
	
		
			 Year received Total number of report Number with a fatal outcome 
		
		
			 1997 46 0 
			 1998 40 0 
			 1999 64 0 
			 2000 139 1 
			 2001 74 1 
			 2002 to date 31 2 
		
	
	A report of a suspected reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the medicine. As the scheme is voluntary, not all adverse reactions are reported.
	It is generally recognised that the reporting rate for medicines supplied over the counter is lower than for prescription medicines. Therefore, data obtained on suspected adverse reactions associated with herbal medicines through the yellow card scheme, cannot be directly compared to reporting for licensed pharmaceutical medicines. With herbal medicines in particular, consumers often do not tell their general practitioner or pharmacist that they are taking a herbal remedy.

Mencap

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received recently from Mencap about housing for older people with learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We recognise that there is particular concern about the position of people with learning disabilities living with older carers aged 70 and over. They and their families must be able to plan for the future in good time. Promoting supported living for older people with learning disabilities is one of the priorities for both the revenue and capital elements of the £42 million learning disability development fund, announced in the White Paper "Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century" published in March 2001. The fund has been made available to the new learning disability partnership boards, now established in each local authority area. Each partnership board has produced a local plan to improve services for people with learning disabilities and their families.
	I have received a copy of Mencap's report, "The Housing Timebomb" (June 2002), which considers housing, care and support issues affecting people with learning disabilities living with older parents. We will consider the report and its recommendations carefully.

Audiology Services

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to spend more than the £20 million investment in audiology services announced on 24 December 2001.

Jacqui Smith: Since 2000–01, we have invested £30.75 million in modernising hearing aid services, including the provision of digital hearing aids. Recently a team led by James Strachan, chief executive of Royal National Institute for the Deaf, has been successful in negotiating a significant reduction in the cost to the national health service of purchasing digital hearing aids. These price reductions will enable the rollout of modernised services to proceed more quickly.

Health Action Zone (Cumbria)

Jack Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what policy initiatives have been introduced by the Health Action Zone in Cumbria; what progress has been made in identifying problems needing special attention; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Over the last year the ethos of the North Cumbria health action has changed following the development of local health groups. These groups determine the needs of their respective areas and the appropriate degree of resources.
	A number of projects have been funded by the local health group in Copeland over the last 12 months. These include:
	Welfare advice in primary care;
	A physical activity directory;
	A healthy communities worker;
	Debt advice service;
	A community cardiac rehabilitation programme manager;
	Howgill community garden;
	A smoking cessation adviser; as well as a number of smaller local projects such as the;
	Aqua aerobics in Mirehouse and healthy eating and physical activity in Distington.

Private Finance Initiative (Bradford)

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the status is of the Bradford Hospital Trust PFI bid to redevelop Bradford Royal Infirmary and St. Luke's Hospital.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 June 2002
	Bradford Hospitals National Health Service Trust is currently preparing their outline business case for this scheme. Subject to its approval, the trust is expected to go out to tender by placing an Official Journal of the European Community notice early next year.

Care Provision

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish statistics for levels for the provision of care, broken down by area.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 27 June 2002
	The Department publishes a wide range of health and social care statistics for relevant areas and some of these statistics are available broken down by level of care. As well as printed publications available in the Library, these statistics may be found on the Department's website.
	The address for health care statistics is: www.doh.gov.uk/ public/pub_health_care.htm.
	The address for social care statistics is: www.doh.gov.uk/ public/pub_social_care.htm.
	Figures on national health service in-patient care are available for a range of areas from the hospital episode statistics (HES) database and may be found at the HES website at: www.doh.gov.uk/hes/index.html.

Stroke

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have not been equipped with stroke units; and in which areas they are.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 June 2002
	Stroke sentinel audits 1999–2001 carried out by the Royal College of Physicians, showed that the number of people treated in a stroke unit had increased. However, none of the data identify individual hospitals. The next audit will be available later this year.
	The monitoring of the national service framework stroke standard, April 2002 milestone, requiring the development of integrated stroke services will be available shortly.

Fostering

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foster parents were registered by (a) region and (b) health authority in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 17 June 2002
	The information available is shown in the table.
	
		Details of the numbers of approved foster carers taken from the TSP application forms for the five years 1998–99 to 2002–03
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01  
			  Local authority names Directly contracted by local council Contracted via independent agency Total number of foster carers Directly contracted by local council Contracted via independent agency Total number of foster carers Directly contracted by local council Contracted via independent agency Total number of foster carers 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 116 10 126 89 10 99 77 33 110 
			 Barnet 66 0 66 79 18 97 83 40 123 
			 Barnsley 147 0 147 137 0 137 122 7 129 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 101 2 103 97 6 103 99 6 105 
			 Bedfordshire 156 12 168 139 13 152 190 13 203 
			 Bexley 113 32 145 87 31 118 108 15 123 
			 Birmingham 707 67 774 670 62 732 657 0 657 
			 Blackburn 78 0 78 80 0 80 63 1 64 
			 Blackpool 88 0 88 97 4 101 91 0 91 
			 Bolton 150 1 151 149 1 150 152 1 153 
			 Bournemouth 84 0 84 72 0 72 84 4 88 
			 Bracknell Forest 45 0 45 32 1 33 70 0 70 
			 Bradford 186 0 186 185 0 185 190 0 190 
			 Brent 162 23 185 150 45 195 114 58 172 
			 Brighton and Hove 233 8 241 344 6 350 336 9 345 
			 Bristol 272 40 312 232 40 272 232 40 272 
			 Bromley 103 29 132 77 82 159 77 82 159 
			 Buckinghamshire 141 0 141 126 9 135 275 0 275 
			 Bury 124 4 128 133 5 138 108 6 114 
			 Calderdale 132 0 132 120 6 126 120 2 122 
			 Cambridgeshire 323 0 323 295 4 299 281 3 284 
			 Camden 93 0 93 106 40 146 132 33 165 
			 Cheshire 444 0 444 444 0 444 360 0 360 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 355 0 355 325 0 325 342 1 343 
			 Coventry 229 9 238 208 32 240 210 40 250 
			 Croydon 0 0 0 149 6 155 281 14 295 
			 Cumbria 298 3 301 295 0 295 250 2 252 
			 Darlington 48 0 48 54 8 62 59 7 66 
			 Derby City 368 0 368 210 3 213 184 4 188 
			 Derbyshire 444 0 444 444 0 444 447 2 449 
			 Devon 326 6 332 363 8 371 363 8 371 
			 Doncaster 130 0 130 130 0 130 233 2 235 
			 Dorset 276 0 276 276 0 276 263 0 263 
			 Dudley 152 0 152 150 4 154 150 4 154 
			 Durham 237 1 238 256 1 257 215 0 215 
			 Ealing 110 0 110 180 0 180 125 0 125 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 109 0 109 205 0 205 170 0 170 
			 East Sussex 347 0 347 347 0 347 300 0 300 
			 Enfield 0 0 0 107 11 118 107 11 118 
			 Essex 514 34 548 625 5 630 430 0 430 
			 Gateshead 133 0 133 120 2 122 120 0 120 
			 Gloucestershire 330 0 330 266 0 266 650 140 790 
			 Greenwich 135 0 135 150 35 185 150 35 185 
			 Hackney 250 0 250 160 12 172 183 50 233 
			 Halton 61 0 61 57 0 57 68 2 70 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 65 0 65 155 40 195 188 56 244 
			 Hampshire 670 19 689 910 0 910 750 0 750 
			 Haringey 289 109 398 128 11 139 128 11 139 
			 Harrow 86 5 91 160 4 164 119 15 134 
			 Hartlepool 72 1 73 69 3 72 67 0 67 
			 Havering 106 0 106 74 6 80 100 0 100 
			 Herefordshire 162 0 162 138 2 140 143 4 147 
			 Hertfordshire 445 0 445 472 10 482 470 10 480 
			 Hillingdon 67 0 67 76 19 95 97 51 148 
			 Hounslow 132 32 164 72 23 95 42 34 76 
			 Hull 267 18 285 284 18 302 314 4 318 
			 Isle of Wight 190 0 190 110 0 110 115 0 115 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Islington 151 25 176 151 0 151 151 0 151 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 104 0 104 104 0 104 104 0 104 
			 Kent 605 0 605 609 6 615 620 15 635 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 65 1 66 75 0 75 75 0 75 
			 Kirklees 104 1 105 107 1 108 113 0 113 
			 Knowsley 164 0 164 164 0 164 164 0 164 
			 Lambeth 0 0 0 0 0 0 130 0 130 
			 Lancashire 587 13 600 550 19 569 500 35 535 
			 Leeds 420 0 420 430 0 430 430 0 430 
			 Leicester City 196 0 196 190 0 190 210 0 210 
			 Leicestershire 220 0 220 256 0 256 270 0 270 
			 Lewisham 186 0 186 200 30 230 220 40 260 
			 Lincolnshire 300 60 360 277 3 280 263 3 266 
			 Liverpool 530 1 531 390 0 390 400  400 
			 Luton 169 0 169 110 0 110 91 23 114 
			 Manchester 420 40 460 420 0 420 360 29 389 
			 Medway 160 0 160 165 6 171 165 6 171 
			 Merton 120 1 121 120 1 121 104 3 107 
			 Middlesbrough 110 0 110 70 2 72 77 3 80 
			 Milton Keynes 267 47 314 216 37 253 220 35 255 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 230 0 230 203 25 228 270 37 307 
			 Newham 227 25 252 246 29 275 253 22 275 
			 Norfolk 617 0 617 501 1 502 509 10 519 
			 North East Lincolnshire 127 0 127 114 1 115 114 1 115 
			 North Lincolnshire 176 0 176 179 0 179 186 0 186 
			 North Somerset 160 0 160 160 0 160 160 0 160 
			 North Tyneside 140 0 140 185 2 187 135 0 135 
			 North Yorkshire 300 0 300 160 0 160 360 0 360 
			 Northamptonshire 708 28 736 720 28 748 564 0 564 
			 Northumberland 170 0 170 160 2 162 140 2 142 
			 Nottingham 243 25 268 45 25 70 220 15 235 
			 Nottinghamshire 327 0 327 400 0 400 420 13 433 
			 Oldham 143 0 143 141 3 144 144 1 145 
			 Oxfordshire 355 0 355 350 0 350 350 3 353 
			 Peterborough 160 0 160 152 14 166 150 0 150 
			 Plymouth 135 9 144 132 0 132 261 0 261 
			 Poole 64 1 65 64 1 65 75 1 76 
			 Portsmouth 102 6 108 109 9 118 107 7 114 
			 Reading 47 0 47 59 8 67 58 4 62 
			 Redbridge 78 3 81 80 4 84 92 5 97 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 70 0 70 65 0 65 70 0 70 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 52 0 52 46 5 51 45 12 57 
			 Rochdale 73 0 73 76 0 76 81 4 85 
			 Rotherham 245 0 245 120 0 120 133 0 133 
			 Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 
			 Salford 270 0 270 396 0 396 460 10 470 
			 Sandwell 330 6 336 330 6 336 220 6 226 
			 Sefton 214 0 214 221 0 221 236 0 236 
			 Sheffield 390 0 390 650 1 651 650 1 651 
			 Shropshire 232 0 232 227 0 227 205 0 205 
			 Slough 0 0 0 58 3 61 60 7 67 
			 Solihull 79 9 88 111 8 119 60 5 65 
			 Somerset 714 0 714 701 0 701 556 3 559 
			 South Gloucestershire 92 10 102 110 6 116 122 3 125 
			 South Tyneside 142 0 142 142 0 142 142 0 142 
			 Southampton 250 0 250 250 0 250 206 12 218 
			 Southend 87 0 87 97 0 97 150 0 150 
			 Southwark 206 0 206 206 0 206 290 0 290 
			 St. Helens 83 8 91 73 12 85 73 18 91 
			 Staffordshire 327 18 345 365 10 375 367 85 452 
			 Stockport 150 0 150 150 0 150 150 0 150 
			 Stockton 93 0 93 83 0 83 69 5 74 
			 Stoke on Trent 156 1 157 152 2 154 162 1 163 
			 Suffolk 225 0 225 225 0 225 280 0 280 
			 Sunderland 218 0 218 218 0 218 218 0 218 
			 Surrey 264 0 264 229 16 245 256 29 285 
			 Sutton 70 0 70 51 10 61 55 10 65 
			 Swindon 165 0 165 279 0 279 310 0 310 
			 Tameside 122 0 122 130 12 142 120 11 131 
			 Thurrock 48 0 48 52 1 53 82 0 82 
			 Torbay 85 0 85 75 0 75 79 0 79 
			 Tower Hamlets 101 0 101 135 0 135 117 0 117 
			 Trafford 69 0 69 67 0 67 81 0 81 
			 Wakefield 286 0 286 280 0 280 235 0 235 
			 Walsall 120 2 122 120 9 129 147 15 162 
			 Waltham Forest 136 15 151 76 11 87 110 15 125 
			 Wandsworth 177 0 177 183 5 188 167 10 177 
			 Warrington 171 0 171 109 0 109 120 0 120 
			 Warwickshire 369 0 369 395 0 395 560 0 560 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 0 49 0 49 54 14 68 
			 West Sussex 453 15 468 500 30 530 500 25 525 
			 Westminster 86 0 86 87 2 89 102 23 125 
			 Wigan 101 0 101 191 0 191 170 4 174 
			 Wiltshire 400 0 400 280 0 280 190 0 190 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 56 0 56 46 5 51 44 1 45 
			 Wirral 143 0 143 150 0 150 160 0 160 
			 Wokingham 63 0 63 63 0 63 63 0 63 
			 Wolverhampton 210 8 218 202 11 213 184 0 184 
			 Worcestershire 390 2 392 760 12 772 439 16 455 
			 Wrekin 88 0 88 101 3 104 146 10 156 
			 York 80 0 80 55 2 57 57 4 61 
			 Total 29,805 845 30,650 30,166 1,085 31,251 30,645 1,532 32,177 
		
	
	
		
			   2001–02  2002–03  
			 Local authority names Directly contracted by local council Contracted via independent agency Total number of foster carers Directly contracted by local council Contracted via independent agency Total number of foster carers 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 46 0 46 75 0 75 
			 Barnet 79 50 129 110 27 137 
			 Barnsley 130 0 130 177 0 177 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 137 6 143 129 10 139 
			 Bedfordshire 157 35 192 174 0 174 
			 Bexley 116 10 126 106 0 106 
			 Birmingham 934 217 1,151 934 217 1,151 
			 Blackburn 66 0 66 87 6 93 
			 Blackpool 101 0 101 111 0 111 
			 Bolton 150 0 150 150 1 151 
			 Bournemouth 80 0 80 80 0 80 
			 Bracknell Forest 71 0 71 45 0 45 
			 Bradford 185 0 185 173 0 173 
			 Brent 103 57 160 146 12 158 
			 Brighton and Hove 225 33 258 289 60 349 
			 Bristol 244 40 284 248 40 288 
			 Bromley 80 158 238 100 60 160 
			 Buckinghamshire 165 10 175 137 10 147 
			 Bury 132 0 132 172 0 172 
			 Calderdale 115 0 115 66 0 66 
			 Cambridgeshire 271 11 282 280 11 291 
			 Camden 85 0 85 130 0 130 
			 Cheshire 714 0 714 762 0 762 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 351 3 354 334 0 334 
			 Coventry 166 0 166 170 0 170 
			 Croydon 252 30 282 218 0 218 
			 Cumbria 240 6 246 210 0 210 
			 Darlington 49 12 61 51 0 51 
			 Derby City 184 0 184 186 0 186 
			 Derbyshire 455 0 455 455 0 455 
			 Devon 310 26 336 303 30 333 
			 Doncaster 170 0 170 244 0 244 
			 Dorset 256 1 257 251 0 251 
			 Dudley 25 0 25 124 7 131 
			 Durham 215 0 215 225 0 225 
			 Ealing 125 0 125 117 0 117 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 75 19 94 70 19 89 
			 East Sussex 264 25 289 253 0 253 
			 Enfield 93 0 93 93 0 93 
			 Essex 479 0 479 506 0 506 
			 Gateshead 130 0 130 130 0 130 
			 Gloucestershire 650 140 790 270 0 270 
			 Greenwich 126 65 191 92 0 92 
			 Hackney 170 57 227 0 0 0 
			 Halton 73 0 73 68 0 68 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 188 60 248 182 54 236 
			 Hampshire 364 0 364 1,100 0 1,100 
			 Haringey 128 11 139 196 35 231 
			 Harrow 74 0 74 70 0 70 
			 Hartlepool 67 0 67 54 1 55 
			 Havering 78 8 86 84 0 84 
			 Herefordshire 145 3 148 156 4 160 
			 Hertfordshire 500 10 510 393 0 393 
			 Hillingdon 97 50 147 103 50 153 
			 Hounslow 43 0 43 48 0 48 
			 Hull 333 0 333 330 22 352 
			 Isle of Wight 120 0 120 155 0 155 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Islington 109 0 109 93 0 93 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 94 0 94 94 0 94 
			 Kent 685 25 710 800 0 800 
			 Kingston Upon Thames 75 0 75 73 0 73 
			 Kirklees 120 3 123 143 5 148 
			 Knowsley 164 0 164 160 0 160 
			 Lambeth 119 157 276 130 0 130 
			 Lancashire 500 35 535 520 0 520 
			 Leeds 385 0 385 380 0 380 
			 Leicester City 235 3 238 250 0 250 
			 Leicestershire 274 0 274 251 0 251 
			 Lewisham 152 31 183 143 0 143 
			 Lincolnshire 291 0 291 288 0 288 
			 Liverpool 350 0 350 412 0 412 
			 Luton 109 0 109 118 0 118 
			 Manchester 401 21 422 401 0 401 
			 Medway 170 6 176 170 6 176 
			 Merton 90 3 93 113 0 113 
			 Middlesbrough 86 11 97 99 9 108 
			 Milton Keynes 192 0 192 207 0 207 
			 Newcastle Upon Tyne 321 19 340 290 28 318 
			 Newham 288 70 358 237 40 277 
			 Norfolk 882 30 912 872 47 919 
			 North East Lincolnshire 110 11 121 146 9 155 
			 North Lincolnshire 136 0 136 142 0 142 
			 North Somerset 92 0 93 160 0 160 
			 North Tyneside 140 0 140 155 0 155 
			 North Yorkshire 360 0 360 178 15 193 
			 Northamptonshire 576 0 576 580 0 580 
			 Northumberland 172 2 174 172 2 174 
			 Nottingham 195 17 212 227 0 227 
			 Nottinghamshire 415 19 434 415 19 434 
			 Oldham 117 0 117 118 28 146 
			 Oxfordshire 350 0 350 330 13 343 
			 Peterborough 130 0 130 145 0 145 
			 Plymouth 270 0 270 260 0 260 
			 Poole 77 4 81 91 4 95 
			 Portsmouth 107 0 107 108 0 108 
			 Reading 64 4 68 70 0 70 
			 Redbridge 92 4 96 99 1 100 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 70 0 70 61 0 61 
			 Richmond Upon Thames 56 7 63 42 0 42 
			 Rochdale 126 7 133 100 21 121 
			 Rotherham 120 0 120 154 0 154 
			 Rutland 3 0 3 3 0 3 
			 Salford 439 50 489 441 52 493 
			 Sandwell 220 0 220 310 0 310 
			 Sefton 233 0 233 130 0 130 
			 Sheffield 388 0 388 334 24 358 
			 Shropshire 207 0 207 113 0 113 
			 Slough 48 8 56 29 0 29 
			 Solihull 71 0 71 59 0 59 
			 Somerset 704 0 704 628 2 630 
			 South Gloucestershire 121 3 124 125 3 128 
			 South Tyneside 97 15 112 61 0 61 
			 Southampton 205 10 215 205 10 215 
			 Southend 195 0 195 105 0 105 
			 Southwark 210 30 240 170 0 170 
			 St. Helens 75 16 91 90 0 90 
			 Staffordshire 478 0 478 360 0 360 
			 Stockport 192 84 276 189 86 275 
			 Stockton 73 9 82 0 0 0 
			 Stoke on Trent 170 7 177 178 32 210 
			 Suffolk 350 0 350 350 0 350 
			 Sunderland 238 0 238 301 0 301 
			 Surrey 212 37 249 307 0 307 
			 Sutton 63 21 84 67 9 76 
			 Swindon 259 0 259 189 0 189 
			 Tameside 98 7 105 102 0 102 
			 Thurrock 82 0 82 56 0 56 
			 Torbay 133 0 133 126 0 126 
			 Tower Hamlets 109 0 109 200 0 200 
			 Trafford 84 4 88 90 21 111 
			 Wakefield 240 0 240 245 0 245 
			 Walsall 180 13 193 142 0 142 
			 Waltham Forest 76 3 79 83 5 88 
			 Wandsworth 157 3 160 0 0 0 
			 Warrington 93 0 93 180 0 180 
			 Warwickshire 573 0 573 516 0 516 
			 West Berkshire 52 15 67 73 14 87 
			 West Sussex 463 17 480 463 0 463 
			 Westminster 102 23 125 110 0 110 
			 Wigan 170 4 174 65 0 65 
			 Wiltshire 250 0 250 240 0 240 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 37 0 37 38 0 38 
			 Wirral 196 0 196 240 0 240 
			 Wokingham 28 0 28 28 0 28 
			 Wolverhampton 170 0 170 160 0 160 
			 Worcestershire 219 0 329 281 0 281 
			 Wrekin 95 0 95 181 19 200 
			 York 125 2 127 71 6 77 
			  
			 Total 30,342 2,023 32,365 30,353 1,206 31,559

Private Medical Insurance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics his Department holds on the coverage of private medical insurance for over-65s.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 24 May 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	None.

Health Checks (Over-75s)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of over-75 health checks.

Jacqui Smith: The Medical Research Council has been funding a trial of assessment and management of elderly people in the community since 1994. The Department has contributed towards the funding of this study. The study is being conducted in over 100 general practitioners practices in the UK covering nearly 33,000 people aged 75 years or over registered with participating practices. It will determine both the cost effectiveness of these different strategies of assessment and management and their effectiveness as measured by mortality, hospital admissions and quality of life. Findings will be available in autumn 2002.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Re-offending

Ernie Ross: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress the Social Exclusion Unit has made on its project on reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners.

Barbara Roche: The Social Exclusion Unit has published its report on reducing re-offending by ex-prisoners today.
	The report sets out the enormous cost, both in financial and human terms, of re-offending by ex-prisoners and makes recommendations for reducing the risk of re-offending in the future.
	Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Asbestos

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what requirement there is for people looking to sell their houses to remove asbestos from roofing before doing so; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: There is no such requirement. Our proposals to require sellers and their agents to market homes with a seller's pack will help raise the awareness of sellers and buyers. The seller's pack will include a home condition report that will disclose the presence of asbestos where it is a safety hazard and is apparent from a visual inspection of the property. The necessary legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if a further bid will be considered for PFI credits for an integrated clothing project by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority; and for what reason the original bid was refused.

Nick Raynsford: The Authority's bid, which was made on behalf of a number of fire authorities, was assessed according to the criteria set out in Fire Service Circular 3/2001, dated 14 February 2001, a copy of which is in the Library. It did not score as highly as some of the other bids received. Unsuccessful bidders were given feedback on their bids. Any future bid in respect of this project would fall to be considered under the criteria attached to that bidding round.

Planning

Archie Norman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which organisations Baker Associates consulted when preparing a consultation brief for the Department on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.

Tony McNulty: The research carried out by Baker Associates included: a survey sent to all local planning authorities in England, in-depth case studies involving the views of a wide range of participants, and seminars and workshops at which developing ideas were tested. The research report does not include a list of all the organisations involved in the study. Nor does the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister hold this information centrally.

Planning

Archie Norman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason Baker Associates were chosen, and what qualifications they have, to carry out the original research in preparing a consultation brief for the Department on possible changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Uses Provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995.

Tony McNulty: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister places its research contracts by competitive tender based on a contractor's technical capacity to carry out the work.

Social Housing Grant

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much social housing grant has been spent by (a) the Housing Corporation and (b) local authorities in each region in each year since 1996–97.

Tony McNulty: The following tables (rounded to one decimal place) show the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme (ADP) expenditure and Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG) for the years 1996–97 to 2001–02.
	
		Housing Corporation ADP -- £ million
		
			 Region 1996–1997 1997–1998 1998–1999 1999–2000 2000–2001 2001–2002 
		
		
			 London 408.4 261.6 252.2 264.2 315.3 341.2 
			 South East 120.4 82.7 64.8 71.5 77.3 93.5 
			 South West 77.0 48.4 40.8 42.3 48.3 51.1 
			 East Midlands 53.4 34.6 27.6 28.3 32.2 34.4 
			 Eastern 65.3 44.4 36.7 38.3 43.7 51.6 
			 West Midlands 87.6 57.8 46.7 45.1 52.3 58.5 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 70.0 47.3 40.0 43.2 44.8 47.7 
			 North East 35.9 21.7 18.9 18.4 20.5 22.9 
			 North West 85.8 58.5 55.4 61.4 57.0 51.2 
			 Merseyside 40.2 26.5 23.2 25.4 25.6 21.4 
			  
			 Total 1,044.0 683.4 606.3 638.1 717.0 773.5 
		
	
	Notes
	Table shows gross ADP. It excludes grant provided by Housing Corporation HQ manual payments which cannot be attributed to regions.
	
		LASHG -- (in £ million)
		
			 Region 1996–1997 1997–1998 1998–1999 1999–2000 2000–2001 2001–2002 
		
		
			 London 89.3 108.0 74.3 81.0 116.6 112.5 
			 South East 119.8 130.6 124.8 109.9 123.2 140.9 
			 South West 32.9 30.8 35.0 43.6 52.0 58.2 
			 East Midlands 14.4 10.8 8.9 14.8 15.7 12.7 
			 Eastern 51.2 42.9 46.9 46.2 58.9 58.7 
			 West Midlands 19.1 24.2 26.6 18.0 17.9 15.2 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 7.3 4.4 5.2 4.0 2.9 3.3 
			 North East 1.6 0.5 0.8 0.4 0.7 0.5 
			 North West 10.0 8.1 10.0 9.0 10.3 7.0 
			 Merseyside 3.7 3.1 2.2 1.2 1.9 1.5 
			  
			 Total 349.3 363.6 334.6 328.1 399.9 410.4

Wind Farms

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many wind turbine applications there have been in each of the last three years, broken down by planning authority; and how many of these were successful.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Planning Green Paper

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many responses he has received to the Planning Green Paper; and how many of these were from organisations.

Tony McNulty: 16,230 responses were received to the Green Paper. The Smith and Williamson report comprised a detailed analysis of the 10,417 responses using the standard form, and includes a breakdown by interest group. A copy is available in the House Library. Further information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Regional Assemblies

Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he intends to take to ensure that equality issues are integral to the work of regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: As stated in paragraph 7.17 of the Regional Governance White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", we are proposing that elected regional assemblies should be under a duty to exercise their general powers with due regard to the principle of equal opportunity for all (and to report annually on progress in fulfilling this duty); to eliminate unlawful discrimination; and to have regard to the need to promote equal opportunities for all persons irrespective of their race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or religion.

Regional Assemblies

Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he intends to take to ensure equal representation of women on regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: As stated in para 7.16 of the Regional Governance White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice", the Government wants to encourage women, and other traditionally under-represented groups, to stand for election to regional assemblies. We are proposing that assembly members should be elected by the Additional Member System of Proportional Representation, which can facilitate diversity in the selection of candidates by political parties. We are also planning to apply the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2001 to regional assembly elections, so that a political party can choose to adopt positive measures that aim to reduce inequality in the numbers of men and women elected as candidates to the party.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Child Abductions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to her answer of 20 June 2002, Official Report, column 530W, on child abductions, to which countries the children were abducted.

Rosie Winterton: Further to my answer on 20 June 2002, Official Report, column 530W, on child abductions, the information is in the table.
	
		2002 outgoing cases from the United Kingdom
		
			 Country  Number of cases Return of child achieved Other result achieved Pending 
		
		
			 Australia 3 — — 3 
			 Belgium 1 — — 1 
			 Canada 1 — — 1 
			 Cyprus 1 1 — — 
			 Czech Republic 1 — — 1 
			 France 10 1 1 8 
			 Germany 3 2 — 1 
			 Ireland 16 2 2 12 
			 Israel 1 — 1 — 
			 Italy 1 — 1 — 
			 Netherlands 2 — — 2 
			 New Zealand 2 1 1 — 
			 Portugal 2 1 1 — 
			 Poland 1 — — 1 
			 South Africa 3 — — 3 
			 Spain 7 2 1 4 
			 Sweden 1 — — 1 
			 Turkey 3 — — 3 
			 USA 16 3 2 11

Contact Centres

Paul Burstow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many contact centres for absent parents and children there have been in England over the last five years, broken down by (a) health authority and (b) region.

Rosie Winterton: Child contact centres are run by the voluntary sector. No current data are kept on how many child contact centres exist or their location. The Child Contact Centre Working Group, which is facilitated by the LCD, will be undertaking a mapping exercise of child contact centre service provision in England and Wales. 264 child contact centres in England are currently affiliated to the National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC). The Government are working in partnership with NACCC, through the working group, to develop standards for child contact centres and a national network of child contact centres, which will provide safe and meaningful contact between children and their non-resident parent.

Annual Leave

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the average annual leave entitlement is for staff in her Department in 2002.

Rosie Winterton: (a) The annual leave entitlements for staff below the Senior Civil Service in LCD and its agencies is as follows.
	LCD Headquarters and Associated Offices, and the Public Guardianship Office
	Grades AA to SEO and equivalent
	22 days on entry to the civil service;
	25 days after one year's service;
	30 days after 10 years' service.
	Grades 7 and 6 and equivalent
	25 days on entry;
	30 days after 10 years.
	Court Service
	Spans 1–9 (AA to Grade 6)
	22 days on entry;
	25 days after 1 year,
	30 days after 10 years.
	(b) The annual leave entitlement for members of the Senior Civil Service is currently set by the Cabinet Office at 30 days.
	The actual average annual leave entitlement could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas party; and how many people attended.

Rosie Winterton: The Lord Chancellor's Department 2001 Christmas party was not paid for by the Department.

Road Traffic Accidents

David Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the role of hearing costs in settlements resulting from serious road traffic accidents.

Rosie Winterton: The settling of a dispute of any kind is a private matter between the parties and the court has no role in determining the basis on which the parties settle. Where the parties to a dispute have reached an agreement on all issues, including which party is to pay costs, but have not agreed the amount of those costs, then if they both agree, they may start "costs only" proceedings, whereby the court will determine the level of costs payable. This procedure was introduced in July 2000.

Road Traffic Accidents

David Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what discussions she has had with representatives of the (a) legal profession and (b) insurance industry on bringing quicker settlements to cases where a serious injury has been sustained as a result of a road traffic accident.

Rosie Winterton: Ministers and officials of this Department have regular discussions with both the legal profession and the insurance industry. However, since the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules in April 1999, the specific issue of quicker settlement of disputes concerning injuries sustained in a road traffic accident has not been discussed.

Judicial Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many judicial appointments she has made since 1 May 1997 in each category; and how many are (a) women, (b) black and (c) Asian.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the number of appointments in the main categories of the judiciary made between 1 May 1997 and 21 June 2002. It shows the total number, the number of women judges and those judges who have stated on an ethnic monitoring questionnaire that they are of black or Asian origin.
	The Lord Chancellor is committed to the principles of equality of opportunity and appointment on merit and is keen to see an increasingly diverse judiciary. The number of women and minority ethnic judges should be seen in the context of the composition of the profession from which judges are drawn. In 2000–01 5.4 per cent. of barristers with over 15 years' experience were of ethnic minority origin (there were no comparable figures for solicitors) and 14.4 per cent. of barristers with over 15 years' experience were women and 15.5 per cent. of solicitors with over 15 years' experience were women. The average length of time lawyers are in practice before being appointed to first rung judicial appointments is between 15 and 20 years. Those appointed to the more senior levels have much longer experience in the profession.
	The proportion of ethnic minority and women judges in post has been steadily increasing over the years. For example, in April 1998 the proportion of women in the main tiers of the judiciary was 10.3 per cent. This had increased to 14.4 per cent. by April 2002. The proportion of ethnic minority judges in post in April 1998 was 1.6 per cent.; in April 2002 it was 2.3 per cent.
	
		Judicial appointments 1 May 1997 to 21 June 2002
		
			   Total Women Black Asian 
		
		
			 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary 5 0 0 0 
			 Heads of Divisions (excluding Lord Chancellor) 4 1 0 0 
			 Lords Justices of Appeal 20 2 0 0 
			 High Court Judges 52 3 0 0 
			 Circuit Judges (including Judges of the Technology and Construction court) 208 37 1 0 
			 Recorders(59) 389 66 1 6 
			 Assistant Recorders(60) 381 64 7 6 
			 District Judges (including Family Division) 156 40 1 5 
			 Deputy District Judges (including Family Division) 470 129 2 4 
			 District Judges (Magistrates court) 15 5 0 0 
			 Deputy District Judges (Magistrates courts) 111 21 2 1 
			 Immigration Appeals Tribunal Vice Presidents 15 3 1 1 
			 Immigration Appeals Tribunal Part-time Legal Members 46 6 0 2 
			 Full-time Immigration Adjudicator 60 17 2 3 
			 Part-time Immigration Adjudicator 492 147 15 23 
			 Full-time Chairman Employment Tribunal 58 7 2 2 
			 Part-time Chairman Employment Tribunal 202 50 4 3 
			 Full-time Chairman Appeals Tribunal 65 24 1 1 
			 Part-time Legal Panel Members Appeals Tribunal(61) 767 257 5 9 
		
	
	(59) Those appointed on promotion from Assistant Recorder on merit, but not including those promoted automatically to Recordership because of the abolition of the post of Assistant Recorder. It also includes those appointed direct to Recordership under the new arrangements after April 2000.
	(60) Those appointed as Assistant Recorders prior to the abolition of the post of Assistant Recorder in April 2000.
	(61) Includes re-appointments.

Repossessed Homes

Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the rules issued by the Law Society relating to the handling of surplus funds arising from the sale of repossessed homes and efforts to return such funds to the original mortgagee who is not a client of the solicitors who holds those funds.

Rosie Winterton: None. But if the hon. Member wishes to pursue the matter, he should write to me setting out the substance of his concerns.

"Making Decisions"

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultations she had with (a) Right to Life, (b) Alert, (c) Care, (d) the Pro-Life Alliance and (e) the Hospice Movement, when preparing the document "Making Decisions: Helping People who have Difficulty Deciding for Themselves"; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: As part of the preparation of this guidance, groups who had specialist expertise in certain issues were contacted to confirm that the information given on these issues was factually correct, and accurately represented the current law on decision-making on behalf of mentally incapacitated adults. It was not possible in terms of time and resources to make contact with every group in the area of mental incapacity and the organisations listed were not consulted prior to publication. The consultation paper has, however, been sent to a wide audience, including Alert, Care, the Pro-Life Alliance and organisations within the Hospice Movement. The Government will consider all responses and amend the guidance as necessary to ensure that it reflects the needs and concerns of all mentally incapacitated adults and those who care for them.

Office for the Supervision of Solicitors

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  if she will make a statement about the operation of the OSS;
	(2)  what proposals she has concerning the operation of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors.

Rosie Winterton: The performance of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS) has been in some respects disappointing. The Lord Chancellor has therefore asked the Legal Services Ombudsman to maintain increased oversight of the OSS and to report to him regularly on progress against a range of issues. He expects to receive the Ombudsman's report on the integrity of the data provided by the OSS and her advice as to future performance measures this autumn.

Immigration Appellate Authority

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many adjournments there have been in hearings dealt with by the IAA since January 2001; and of these how many have been requested by the (a) IAA, (b) Home Office, (c) appellant's representative and (d) appellant, respectively.

Rosie Winterton: During the period 1 June 2001 to 31 May 2002, the IAA heard 84,254 cases; of these, 17,893 adjudicator hearings and 449 tribunal hearings were adjourned.
	Figures prior to June 2001 are not available.
	Information about which party requested the adjournment is not available, save and except as is implied by the statistics provided in answer PQ 63460.

Immigration Appellate Authority

Terry Rooney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the decision was taken to relocate the Immigration Appellate Authority court in Leeds; what options are being looked at for an alternative venue; what consultations have taken place with (a) users, (b) staff, (c) representatives and (d) interpreters; what she calculates the implications of this move are for the satellite courts; and when she expects to announce her decision.

Rosie Winterton: The IAA is not currently planning to shut the existing hearing centre in Leeds—they are opening an additional centre in Bradford which was identified from possible options in the Yorkshire area. This is part of the publicised expansion of the IAA to deal with 6,000 asylum cases per month from November 2002. Consultation on the new site has taken place within the IAA, and with the Home Office and Legal Services Commission. Staff and adjudicators will be given the option of moving to the new site in Bradford if they wish to do so.
	As part of the expansion of the IAA the emphasis has been placed on larger hearing centres. Small satellite courts, consisting of only one or two hearing rooms, have less flexibility in relation to listing and hence lower efficiency. As a result, it is intended that the IAA will cease to use its small satellite courts as the new centres come on stream. The hearing centre at Leeds is not, however, classified as a satellite court.
	Announcements in respect of new hearing centres will be made once lease and contractual negotiations have progressed sufficiently to assure completion.

Correspondence

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the average length of time is that her Department has taken to reply to hon. Members in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The average length of time to reply to correspondence from hon. Members during the period 1 June 2001 to 31 May 2002 was 18.56 days. The Whitehall target for responding is 20 days.

Judges (Complaints)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department 
	(1)  how many complaints she has received about judges since 1 May 1997;
	(2)  how many letters of reprimand he has sent to judges since 1 May 1997.

Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 26 June 2002, Official Report, column 951W. Since that reply was prepared the Lord Chancellor has sent an additional letter reprimanding a judge, bringing the total to 24.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many statutory instruments have been (a) introduced, (b) removed and (c) amended by her Department since 1 January; and what the (i) cost and (ii) saving has been in each case.

Rosie Winterton: A list of statutory instruments has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It includes those originated by the Lord Chancellor's Department and signed by or on behalf of the Lord Chancellor since 1 January 2002, and also Orders in Council made during that period for which the Lord Chancellor's Department was responsible. A list of Northern Ireland statutory rules signed by or on behalf of the Lord Chancellor is also included. Where any such instrument amended or revoked another instrument, the name of the amended or revoked instrument is mentioned in the table.
	Policy decisions implemented by secondary legislation may or may not result in costs on the one hand, or savings on the other. It is not possible, save at disproportionate cost, if at all, to attribute specific costs or savings to specific statutory instruments.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Drugs

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the key performance indicators for drugs in prisons seek to make a differentiation between opiates and cannabis; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Prison Service's key performance indicator based on random mandatory drug tests does not separate drug types found. It provides a composite figure and as such is the best measure of overall drug misuse in prisons. Separate figures relating to the nine drug types tested are available and are used locally and nationally for management purposes.
	New figures for 2001–02 will be available shortly and will be placed in the Library.

Custodial Sentences

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many London residents, broken down by ethnic origin and offence, were issued with a custodial sentence at magistrates courts in the last 12 months.

Hilary Benn: Information is not currently collected in the form requested.

Louis Farrakhan

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the ruling in the Court of Appeal concerning Louis Farrakhan.

Beverley Hughes: We were extremely pleased to have won this case in the Court of Appeal. This vindicates the view of my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary and his predecessors that the Home Secretary has the right to exclude someone from the United Kingdom if it is considered that their presence is not conducive to good public order.

Ministerial Accommodation

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what publicly owned accommodation is made available to him in his official role; how many nights he has been in residence at each of these properties in the last 12 months; and what the total cost was of maintaining each of these properties in the last 12 months.

David Blunkett: holding answer 9 May 2002
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1443W and my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Collins) on 21 January 2002, Official Report, column 599W and 28 January 2002, Official Report, column 91W.
	The Home Office leases one property, acquired for security reasons, as the London residence of the Home Secretary of the day.
	The total running costs of this property in 2001–02 were £12,122 including utilities and ground rent of £7,100.
	In addition, a major programme of cyclical refurbishment—the first for some years—is now largely complete. This was needed to maintain the repair and value of the property and to deal with the impact of substantial flood and storm damage. Subject to final bills, the estimated committed expenditure in 2001–02 was £85,000. Completion of this cycle of work will put the property on a sound footing for the future; no further major refurbishment work should be required.

European Border Management

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the first drafts of the European Commission Communication on European Border Management will be released.

Beverley Hughes: The communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament towards integrated management of the external borders of the member states of the European Union was deposited for parliamentary scrutiny on 17 May 2002. The communication proposes the following action in the short and medium term:
	A common corpus of legislation
	A common and operational co-ordination mechanism
	Common integrated risk analysis
	Inter-operational personnel and analysis
	Burden-sharing between the member states and the union.
	The Government are supportive of closer co-operation between national border authorities of the European Union, which we believe is one of the ways to tackle the criminal networks responsible for human trafficking and illegal immigration. We are also keen to discuss practical ways of strengthening the European Union's external borders, in line with our frontiers protocol. We welcome the fact that the commission is responding to calls from member states for action in this area.
	The Government will provide Parliament with detailed views on this document in its explanatory memorandum, which was submitted on the 29 May.

Conviction Rates

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Government's pledge to bring 100,000 more criminals to justice.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 23 May 2002
	In the year ending March 2000, 1.1 million offences were brought to justice. In the year ending March 2001, this figure was 1.02 million. The most recent data (for the year ending November 2001) shows an improvement in performance. 9,900 more offences were brought to justice than in the year ending July 2001.

Domestic Violence

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have been victims of domestic violence in each of the last five years.

John Denham: Domestic violence is not separately identified in recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) collects figures from police forces on the number of recorded incidents of domestic violence. Incidents can be counted in the HMIC figures regardless of whether or not the incident is subsequently recorded as a crime, and all incidents initially recorded as domestic violence are counted regardless of the final outcome.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) can provide trend information on the number of incidents of domestic violence against women.
	
		Number of BCS incidents of domestic violence against women, -- 1997 to 2000Thousands
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1997 583 
			 1999 560 
			 2000 354 
		
	
	Source:
	1998, 2000 and 2001 British Crime Surveys
	The 2001 British Crime Survey estimates that there were, in total 354,000 incidents of domestic violence against women in England and Wales in 2000. This was a decrease from the previous sweep, the 2000 BCS, which estimated there were 560,000 incidents against women in the year preceding that survey (1999). This in turn was a reduction from the 1998 BCS, which estimated that there were 583,000 incidents of domestic violence suffered by women in 1997 in England and Wales.

Young Offenders

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time prisoners at Feltham (A and B) young offenders' prison spent locked in their cells each day was in (a) 1995, (b) 2000, (c) 2001 and (d) 2002 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Prison Service collects information on average time unlocked at each establishment, but does not break those figures down below establishment level.
	The average time unlocked for all prisoners at Feltham young offender institution (YOI) for the periods specified is given in the table.
	
		
			   Average week day time unlocked at Feltham YOI 
		
		
			 1995–96 7.9 
			 2000–01 10.3 
			 2001–02 8.0 
			 April 2002 7.1

Criminal Justice System

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the work of the Criminal Justice Joint Planning Unit in relation to the development and testing of joint and shared performance measures and the date envisaged for the production of a set of indicators on criminal justice system priorities.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 12 June 2002
	The current criminal justice plan already contains joint objectives and public service agreement targets for the criminal justice system as a whole. These are the targets towards which the criminal justice agencies must collectively work.
	The Criminal Justice Joint Planning Unit is currently working with the criminal justice agencies in Merseyside to examine the whole range of targets, investigate inconsistencies and develop a set of joint and shared performance measures for that area. Once they have been agreed, they will be further tested in a number of other criminal justice areas.
	Our intention is that the shared indicators will be introduced into the next set of local criminal justice business plans during 2003–04.

Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 8 May from the hon. Member for Northavon regarding Mr. Jason Davis and Ms Elaine Smith, a constituent.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 13 June 2002
	A reply to the hon. Member was dispatched on 10 June 2002. This was within the Prison Service's 20 working day target for ministerial correspondence.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 9 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Rahemi Aminulah;
	(2)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 22 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Zakaria Hussein;
	(3)  when he will reply to the letter to him dated 22 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. S. Balekey.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 27 June 2002.

Correspondence

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will provide an answer to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on 11 June regarding the letter to chief police officers Ref. 62195.

Bob Ainsworth: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 25 June 2002, Official Report, column 841W. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Royal Prerogative of Mercy

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the review of the exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy; what its findings have been; what action he plans to take; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 17 June 2002
	Applications for the exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy are rare. Each one is considered on its own merits. The review completed last year (which did not lead to any significant change of policy or practice) was conducted by means of communications between Ministers and officials, and legal advice to Ministers. The Code of Practice on Access to Government Information indicates that such internal discussion and advice is exempt from the commitments to provide information in that Code.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held on 13 and 14 June was; what the Government's stance on the issues discussed, including its voting record was; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: I together with my right hon. Friend the Deputy First Minister and Minster for Justice for Scotland, and my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Filkin, represented the United Kingdom at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 13 June.
	A points
	The A points were approved as in document 9825/02 PTS A 31 and ADD 1 and COR 1 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library), except points 23, 24, 25 and 45.
	Terrorism
	The Council noted a terrorism threat assessment document, Europol reports on security measures taken since 11 September and extremist terrorism, and a report on the current list of terrorist organisations. The Director of Europol reported on the work of the Europol Counter-Terrorism Task Force, noting that the provision of information to Europol had improved but remained insufficient and that more could be done to improve co-operation with the United States.
	Activities of the Spanish presidency on the subject of violence against women, to be submitted by the Ministers of Education, Justice, Home Affairs and Health at forthcoming Councils:
	The presidency presented a study on measures adopted by member states to combat violence against women and a guide to good practice to mitigate the effects of and eradicate violence against women.
	Illegal immigration and external borders
	During a general debate on illegal immigration and asylum, I called for the Seville European Council to deliver concrete results so that citizens could see the relevance of a European Union (EU) approach. I said that the message should not be one of fortress Europe but a coherent policy which opposed racism, welcomed legal inward migration, protected refugees and ensured that each member state accepted its responsibilities. I supported common action to work to protect the European Union's external frontier, arguing that this should be achieved through the use of joint operations at weak points in the border, extensions of the immigration liaison officer network and greater use of Europol's expertise, rather than through the establishment of a new border police. I also supported the need to complete work on common asylum measures and co-operation with third countries in a spirit of "positive conditionality", involving the provision of assistance to support returns and develop migration infrastructures.
	The Council also noted a presidency report on progress made in the fight against illegal immigration, agreed conclusions on measures to be established for the prevention of and the fight against illegal immigration and the trafficking of human beings by sea and agreed a plan on the management of external borders.
	Proposal for a Council regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an asylum application lodged in one of the member states by a third-country national:
	In discussing key aspects of the draft Dublin II Regulation, the majority of member states, including the United Kingdom, said that the existing Dublin Convention criteria should be taken as a starting point but that procedures should be improved and time limits shortened. Two member states with difficult external frontiers argued that they should not be penalised by virtue of their geographical position. Two other member states also opposed the proposed new criterion on tolerated illegal presence.
	Proposal for a Council Decision on the implementation of specific measures for police and judicial co-operation to combat terrorism in accordance with Article 4 of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP:
	The Council reached a general approach on the Council Decision. Portugal, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom maintained parliamentary scrutiny reserves on the text.
	Proposal for a Council Framework Decision laying down minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal acts and penalties in the field of drug trafficking:
	The Council reached a general approach on the majority of the text. However, member states were divided by a proposal to permit the imposition of lower penalties for trafficking in small quantities of drugs. The presidency concluded that discussions on this item would continue under the Danish presidency.
	Proposal for a Council Directive to improve access to justice in cross-border disputes by establishing minimum common rules relating to legal aid and other financial aspects of civil proceedings:
	The Council agreed that the scope of the draft Legal Aid Directive should be limited to cross-border claims.
	Proposal for a Council Regulation creating a European enforcement order for uncontested claims:
	The Commission presented its proposal for a European enforcement order. This would abolish, in uncontested cases, the requirement for a court to examine the procedure by which a judgment was issued in another member state before recognising the validity of that judgment.
	Civilian aspects of crisis management:
	The presidency reported that member states had met the targets set by the Gothenburg European Council for the provision of officials and judges to international missions intended to strengthen the rule of law in third countries.
	Any Other Business
	The Commission presented its revised scoreboard on the implementation of the Tampere European Council conclusions.
	Mixed Committee
	The Mixed Committee with Norway and Iceland met at ministerial level in the margins of the Council. It noted the existence of two negotiating mandates for the association of Switzerland with the implementation of the Schengen acquis, the Dublin Convention and Eurodac acquis; of a general approach on the proposal for a Decision amending Article 40 of the Schengen Convention, subject to parliamentary scrutiny reserves from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom; of conclusions concerning the new requirements for the Schengen Information System (SIS) and a technical solution for the participation in the SIS by the United Kingdom and Ireland, reflecting the partial participation of the United Kingdom and Ireland in Schengen; and of a plan on the management of external borders.

Criminal Records Bureau

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reduce the amount of paperwork for volunteers completing forms required by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 17 June 2002
	In order to ensure that Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) Disclosure Applications are processed accurately and in the interests of public safety 42 questions are asked of applicants. This is the case for all applicants, whether their positions are voluntary or paid.
	There are no plans to reduce the amount of information requested for volunteers completing forms required by the CRB to process disclosure applications.
	The CRB offers two application channels to request a disclosure, the telephone application line and the paper application form route. A third option is planned to be introduced later this year, when applicants will be able to apply via the CRB website. These measures have all been put in place to help keep the amount of paper work to a minimum.

Work Permits

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who were awarded work permits to recruit them to (a) UK police forces, (b) UK schools and (c) the UK NHS from (i) India, (ii) South Africa, (iii) Bangladesh and (iv) Jamaica have returned to those countries in the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Work Permits (UK), who administer the work permit arrangements, do not collect information to determine the number of work permit holders who return overseas.
	The full number of work permit approvals issued for the Government, health and medical industry and education and cultural industry, for (i) India, (ii) South Africa, (iii) Bangladesh and (iv) Jamaica for the previous five years is listed in the table. It encompasses all of the sector, including the United Kingdom police forces, United Kingdom schools and the national health services (NHS), but also any other employers within these sectors. The way in which information is collated does not provide a separate breakdown for the requested specific employer groups.
	
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			  Government sector 
			 India 0 0 0 3 14 7 
			 South Africa 0 0 5 83 212 73 
			 Bangladesh 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Jamaica 0 0 0 0 2 1 
			 Total 0 0 5 86 229 82 
			
			  Health and medical sectors 
			 India 189 457 916 1,940 4,134 2,411 
			 South Africa 243 753 2,024 2,882 4,141 2,631 
			 Bangladesh 0 9 16 24 24 9 
			 Jamaica 11 25 199 322 315 134 
			 Total 443 1,244 3,155 5,168 8,614 5,185 
			
			  Education and cultural sectors 
			 India 121 159 232 331 559 368 
			 South Africa 28 47 73 360 1,986 920 
			 Bangladesh 10 10 9 19 28 8 
			 Jamaica 1 2 1 8 360 136 
			 Total 160 218 315 718 2,933 1,432 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures for 1997–2001 are for the calendar years. Figures for 2002 are for those up until 18 June.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will propose amendments to the criminal injuries compensation legislation in order to entitle victims of child abuse to benefit from the funds in those cases where the victim (a) lived with abuser and (b) the abuser was a close relative.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 18 June 2002
	We conducted a thorough review of the criminal injuries compensation scheme following a public consultation exercise launched in 1999, and made a number of significant changes to the scheme with effect from 1 April 2001. As part of that exercise we considered whether to change the rule which precludes payment of compensation for intra-family sexual abuse which occurred before 1 October 1979. However, we decided for a number of reasons that the rule should not be changed.

Hunting

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been of policing (a) demonstrations and other events arguing against legal restrictions on hunting and (b) hunting events (i) in 2001 and (ii) so far this year.

John Denham: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Hunting

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of vandalism, criminal damage and other offences apparently carried out by those supporting hunting were reported to the police (a) in 2001 and (b) so far this year.

John Denham: Figures for incidents reported to the police are not collected centrally. Details of those that the police then record as crimes are submitted to the Home Office by forces. Overall totals are broken down by type of offence, but information on the motivation of those who carry them out is not included.

Crime Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent analysis he has made of a link between changes in crime and changes in the number of children (a) born to teenage women, (b) born outside marriage, (c) born into poverty and (d) in one-parent families; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: holding answer 19 June 2002
	There is no evidence of a link between changes in the level of crime and changes in the number of children born to teenage women, outside marriage or in one parent families. Research, however, has suggested that the following risk factors are cumulatively important:
	poverty and poor housing;
	poor parenting (including neglect, abuse, harsh and inconsistent discipline, lack of supervision and marital conflict);
	association with delinquent peers, siblings and partners;
	low measures of intelligence, poor performance and persistent truancy;
	high levels of impulsiveness and hyperactivity; and
	being brought up by a criminal parent or parents. 1
	The Home Office has also undertaken research to explore the influence of aggregate demographic and socio-economic factors on the level of crime. This demonstrated a link between changes in certain socio- economic variables, such as changes in GDP, the stock of economy-wide goods, and the number of young males aged 15–20; and property crime. 2
	Work is on-going to develop and improve the Home Office models and to examine the impact of a wider range of socio-economic factors on crime trends.
	1 "Reducing offending: an assessment of research evidence on ways of dealing with offending behaviour"; HORS 187.
	2 "Modelling and predicting property crime trends in England and Wales"; HORS 198.

Dutch Somalians

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with his Dutch colleagues about Dutch Somalians who have left the Netherlands to settle in the UK.

Beverley Hughes: We are aware of increasing numbers of individuals of Somali origin arriving in the United Kingdom and claiming local authority support. It is in response to this issue that we have introduced an amendment to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill. The purpose of this amendment is to clarify in law the duty that local authorities have to provide social assistance to these individuals, and will limit support available to this category of person when they have support available elsewhere.
	The Dutch have recently expressed concern about this issue. My officials are in the process of liaising with other Government Departments and the Dutch Embassy in London about setting up channels of communication with the Dutch in response to this issue.

Ethnic Minorities

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet the representatives from the Sikh Secretariat on 4 July to discuss the issues set out in the Sikh Agenda for the UK Government; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 21 June 2002
	My noble Friend Lord Filkin is meeting a group of representatives from a number of Sikh organisations, likely to include one from the Sikh Secretariat, on 31 July to discuss issues relating to the British Sikh community.

Ethnic Minorities

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Sikhs are serving as police officers in England and Wales, broken down by police authority.

John Denham: holding answer 21 June 2002
	The information is not collected centrally.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in each police authority area.

John Denham: holding answer 24 June 2002
	Official statistics on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued are based on quarterly returns received from magistrates' courts committees (MCCs). From 1 April 2001 MCC areas were aligned with all police force areas.
	The latest available information up to December 2001 is given in the table.
	
		Number of antisocial behaviour orders issued as from 1 April 1999 to 31 December 2001 by police force area and MCC
		
			 Police force area/MCC ASBOs issued 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 27 
			 Bedfordshire 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 8 
			 Cheshire 2 
			 Cleveland 9 
			 Cumbria 2 
			 Derbyshire 12 
			 Devon and Cornwall 11 
			 Dorset 4 
			 Durham 13 
			 Essex — 
			 Gloucestershire 4 
			 Metropolitan police(62)/GLMCA 41 
			 Great Manchester 26 
			 Hampshire 7 
			 Hertfordshire 9 
			 Humberside 13 
			 Kent 17 
			 Lancashire 17 
			 Leicestershire 5 
			 Lincolnshire 2 
			 Merseyside 17 
			 Norfolk 18 
			 Northamptonshire 8 
			 Northumbria 18 
			 North Yorkshire 11 
			 Nottinghamshire 16 
			 South Yorkshire 11 
			 Staffordshire 10 
			 Suffolk 7 
			 Surrey 4 
			 Sussex 9 
			 Thames Valley 9 
			 Warwickshire 3 
			 West Mercia 51 
			 West Midlands 67 
			 West Yorkshire 19 
			 Wiltshire — 
			 Dyfed Powys — 
			 Gwent 2 
			 North Wales 1 
			 South Wales 4 
			  
			 England and Wales 518 
		
	
	(62) Including City of London

Carrier Liability

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to consult the freight transport industry over the recent amendments to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill imposing fines on lorry operators.

Beverley Hughes: Due to the tight legislative timescale, a formal consultation process in respect of amendments to the penalty regime has not been possible on this occasion. There was widespread consultation prior to the introduction in April 2000 of the regime, the provisions for which are contained in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. There was further consultation when the regime was extended first to rail freight trains and then to freight shuttle trains. Industry representatives and other interested parties have been informed about the proposed changes to the legislation and have been sent copies of the draft code of practice for determining the level of penalty. We would welcome their comments during the remainder of the parliamentary process, and meetings are being arranged between officials and representatives.

Public Service Pensions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of (a) the aggregate liability for pensions and (b) the increase in liability for pensioners in the most recent year for which information is available for (i) the police, (ii) the Prison Service and (iii) the Immigration and Nationality Service.

John Denham: holding answer 24 June 2002
	Police authorities are in the process of estimating, for the first time, their accrued liabilities for pensions in preparing their accounts for the year ended 31 March 2002. The Government Actuary's Department estimated as at 31 March 2001, that the liability in Great Britain for the police pension scheme was around £25 billion.
	Those employed in the Prison Service and in the Immigration and Nationality Service participate in the principal civil service pension scheme, which is managed by the Cabinet Office. Cabinet Office civil superannuation resource accounts 2000–01 (HC554) give a capitalised value of the liabilities of the scheme as at 1 April 2000 of £58.6 billion. A breakdown of this amount between different parts of the civil service is not available.
	There is no baseline against which to measure a change from one year to the next, so no figure for the increase in liabilities is available.

Criminal Records Checks

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long the Criminal Records Office retains information sent to it in respect of those for whom criminal records checks in connection with work with children are sought, in the case of data subjects (a) with and (b) without criminal records.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 24 June 2002
	Information that is received by the Criminal Records Bureau from individuals who are applying for criminal records checks in connection with working with children is retained on the database for a period of six months, after which it is archived for a period of 10 years. There is no distinction made by the Criminal Records Bureau in the retention of such data between those individuals who have criminal records and those who do not.
	The Criminal Records Bureau has and is continuing to work in close association with the information commissioner to ensure that it adheres to data protection legislation.

DNA Samples

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have their DNA samples held by the police.

John Denham: holding answer 25 June 2002
	DNA samples and the profiles derived from them are held on behalf of the police by the national DNA database custodian at the Forensic Science Service. As of 19 June 2002, the national DNA database holds 1,662,827 samples taken from individuals in England and Wales.

DNA Samples

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an individual who has been required to provide a DNA sample by the police has the right to have that sample destroyed in the event of an acquittal for the charge which prompted the sample being taken.

John Denham: holding answer 25 June 2002
	An individual does not have the right for their DNA sample to be destroyed in the event of an acquittal. Under section 82 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, amending section 64 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, a chief constable may decide to retain DNA samples in all cases, including following acquittal or a decision to drop a prosecution, except where the sample was taken as part of a mass screening process and the individual does not consent to the retention of the sample. Samples can only be used for purposes related to the prevention or detection of crime, the investigation of an offence or the conduct of a prosecution.

DNA Samples

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there is central access to DNA samples held by different police forces.

John Denham: holding answer 25 June 2002
	DNA samples are retained in England and Wales by the laboratories authorised to analyse them. They are the Forensic Science Service, the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and Cellmark. The laboratories submit the DNA profiles from these samples to the Forensic Science Service which acts as custodian of the national DNA database.
	As the custodian, the Forensic Science Service inputs, updates and manages the information on the national DNA database and searches it for intelligence data at the request of the police.

Asylum Seekers

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if Clause 25 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill will ensure that adequate provision is made for asylum seekers with special medical needs.

Beverley Hughes: Asylum seekers have access to national health service care in the same way as people who are settled here. Clause 26 (previously clause 25) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill contains a power to enable the Secretary of State to provide accommodation centre residents with facilities relating to health. Using this power, we intend to provide on-site primary health care to asylum seekers in accommodation centres.
	Asylum seekers with special health needs will only be housed in accommodation centres if the on-site health care provider is equipped to deal with their needs or if it is possible make other arrangements that would still enable them to live at the centre. Each case will be considered on its merits.

Police

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what discretion is given to individual police services in recruiting police officers that do not match the prescribed eyesight criteria set by his Department;
	(2)  what national standards are set by his Department for (a) unaided and (b) aided vision for new recruits to the police service.

John Denham: The Home Office provides guidance to forces on eyesight standards. The present guidance for eyesight is that candidates' unaided vision must be 6–24 or better in either eye and aided vision must be 6–12 or better in either eye and 6–6 binocularly.
	All forces are expected to follow the guidance, but responsibility for the appointment of constables rests with the Chief Officer of each force.
	A Home Office project is under way to establish national recruitment standards (NRS) for the police service. It is reviewing all current entry requirements, to ensure they are job related, evidence based and non discriminatory. The eyesight guidelines are currently under review as part of the NRS project.
	When the new standards are in place, forces will be required to follow them.

Police

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in Nottinghamshire on 31 March of each year since 1981; and how many there are expected to be on 31 March 2003.

John Denham: holding answer 25 June 2002
	The table sets out police numbers for each year since 1981. I am told by the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire (Mr. Stephen Green QPM) the force has a target strength of 2,434 officers for 31 March 2002.
	Police force performance does not depend solely upon the number of officers available. The proposals in the White Paper "Policing a New Century: A blueprint for reform" set out a radical and ambitious programme of reform, with the overall aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime and to tackle anti-social behaviour. The test of success will be whether the measures being put in place will make a real difference to the quality of life of individuals and communities up and down the country.
	The public have a right to expect the same high standards of service wherever they live and the Government propose to put a framework in place to ensure that all police forces come up to the standard of the best.
	
		Nottinghamshire Constabulary: Police numbers 1981 to 2002
		
			 Year (as at 31 March) Police officer numbers 
		
		
			 1981 2,241 
			 1982 2,252 
			 1983 2,249 
			 1984 2,229 
			 1985 2,150 
			 1986 2,210 
			 1987 2,226 
			 1988 2,252 
			 1989 2,298 
			 1990 2,316 
			 1991 2,336 
			 1992 2,331 
			 1993 2,327 
			 1994 2,328 
			 1995 2,319 
			 1996 2,318 
			 1997 2,323 
			 1998 2,323 
			 1999 2,225 
			 2000 2,204 
			 2001 2,212 
			 2002(63) 2,323 
		
	
	(63) 31 January

Police

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanism exists to prevent duplication of activity between (a) HMIC, (b) the Police Standards Unit, (c) the Audit Commission and (d) Home Office-based teams in respect of the police.

John Denham: holding answer 25 June 2002
	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), the Police Standards Unit, the Audit Commission and the Home Office have separate but complementary roles which together seek to ensure that the police service in England and Wales is efficient and effective.
	A steering group chaired by myself, due to my responsibility for policing, oversees implementation of the police reform programme and ensures a cohesive and prioritised approach to police activity. Senior Home Office officials, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and the Police Standards Director attend these meetings.
	There are close working relationships between HMIC and the Police Standards Unit. Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and the Police Standards Director meet regularly. Their respective roles are clearly defined. HMIC has an independent inspection and monitoring role as distinct from the police standards unit's policy implementation and support role.
	There are well developed mechanisms for co-ordination of HMIC and the audit commission's work which in turn ensure that both those organisations' work is properly integrated with that of the police standards unit. There are regular meetings between Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and the Audit Commission Controller. There are formal agreements in place where duplication is possible, for example on the integration of audit and inspection of best value performance plans.

Police

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets have been set within the police for the recruitment and retention of officers from ethnic minorities; and what the latest outturns are in respect of these targets.

John Denham: holding answer 24 June 2002
	The latest recruitment figures available are as at 30 September 2001. The following table shows, by police force, the minority ethnic (ME) officer strength target for 2009, ME officer strength and percentage as at 30 September 2001.
	
		
			 Police force 2009 target (percentage) Number of ME officers September 2001  Percentage of ME officers September 2001 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 2.0 39 1.3 
			 Bedfordshire 10.0 42 4.0 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.3 34 2.5 
			 Cheshire 1.0 9 0.4 
			 City of London 7.3 18 2.6 
			 Cleveland 2.0 18 1.3 
			 Cumbria 1.0 4 0.4 
			 Derbyshire 3.3 51 2.8 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1.0 15 0.5 
			 Dorset 1.0 10 0.7 
			 Durham 1.0 14 0.9 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1.0 5 0.5 
			 Essex 1.9 31 1.1 
			 Gloucestershire 1.6 16 1.4 
			 Greater Manchester 7.6 200 2.8 
			 Gwent 1.1 18 1.4 
			 Hampshire 2.0 39 1.1 
			 Hertfordshire 4.7 35 1.9 
			 Humberside 1.1 16 0.8 
			 Kent 2.0 50 1.5 
			 Lancashire 5.0 57 1.7 
			 Leicestershire 11.0 98 4.8 
			 Lincolnshire 1.2 10 0.8 
			 Merseyside 2.0 81 2.0 
			 Metropolitan Police 25.0 1,117 4.4 
			 Norfolk 1.0 15 1.0 
			 Northamptonshire 2.3 28 2.4 
			 Northumbria 1.5 35 0.9 
			 North Wales 1.1 7 0.5 
			 North Yorkshire 1.3 6 0.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 3.5 66 2.9 
			 South Wales 1.5 45 1.4 
			 South Yorkshire 3.3 86 2.7 
			 Staffordshire 1.8 31 1.5 
			 Suffolk 1.1 20 1.7 
			 Surrey 3.2 29 1.4 
			 Sussex 2.4 31 1.1 
			 Thames Valley 5.4 94 2.5 
			 Warwickshire 4.0 24 2.6 
			 West Mercia 2.0 23 1.2 
			 West Midlands 16.1 382 5.1 
			 West Yorkshire 9.5 148 3.0 
			 Wiltshire 1.0 10 0.9 
		
	
	Note: Figures have been set to 1 per cent. for areas below 1 per cent.
	The targets for retention are that the percentage of minority ethnic officers leaving the service through resignation or dismissal each year should equal the percentage of white officers leaving each year under similar circumstances within three years in each of the following bands:
	six months to under two years service
	two years to under five years service
	five years to under 10 years service
	with demonstrable, significant progress made each year to reduce the overall figure.
	Figures for March 2000 act as baseline and forces' progress against targets is due to be monitored at 31 March 2003.

Police

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in England and Wales on (a) 9 September 1999 and (b) 31 May 2002.

John Denham: holding answer 24 June 2002
	Information for the specified dates has not been collected centrally. However, on 30 September 1999 there were 125,394 officers and on 31 January 2002 (the latest date for which figures are available) there were 128,748 officers in England and Wales. This was a record number.
	The increase in police strength reflects the impact of the crime fighting fund (CFF), which is enabling forces in England and Wales to recruit 9,000 officers over and above previous recruitment plans in the three years to March 2003.

Prisons

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the fire insurance problems facing new privately funded prisons.

Hilary Benn: holding answer 24 May 2002
	The new privately managed prisons to be built at Ashford, Middlesex and at Peterborough are facing problems in securing insurance cover for fire. These problems are being addressed both by the consortium that is to build and operate the prisons and by the Prison Service and the Home Office.

Prisons

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which companies the Prison Service have contracts for the transport of prisoners to court; if he will place the terms of their contracts in the Library; what assessment he has made of the effect of transport delays on the operation of courts and the associated costs to public funds; how many times penalty clauses have been invoked against each company, with the sums involved in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Prison Service has entered into eight contracts with private sector companies for the movement of prisoners from prisons and police stations to court. These are set out in the table.
	
		
			 Contract area Company 
		
		
			 South West England and South Wales Reliance Custodial Services 
			 South and South East England Premier Prison Services 
			 London Securicor Custodial Services 
			 East Anglia Group 4 Court Services 
			 East Midlands Group 4 Court Services 
			 West Midlands and Mid Wales Premier Prison Services 
			 Greater Manchester, Merseyside and North Wales Group 4 Court Services 
			 Northern England Group 4 Court Services 
		
	
	Contract documentation, excluding those parts which contain price sensitive information, are available in the Library.
	Contractors, prisons and the police are all aware of the effect of late deliveries to court and the potential cost to public funds. Each contract is monitored by a team of Prison Service staff against a series of performance measures. These cover a range of issues including delivery to court. Failures against the performance measures result in the application of penalty points and if these exceed a prescribed total in any single year they result in the application of a financial remedy.
	Financial remedies have been applied on six occasions since 1999 and have affected all contractors. The total sum recovered or withheld is approximately £621,000. This is made up as follows.
	
		
			 Company Occasions Total value (£) 
		
		
			 Group 4 Court Services 1 60,000 
			 Premier Prison Services 1 36,000 
			 Securicor Custodial Services 2 500,000 
			 Reliance Custodial Services 2 25,000 
		
	
	The £500,000 in financial remedies imposed upon Securicor related to performance shortfalls during the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01, when shortages of staff contributed to a number of failures to meet the requirements of the contract, including the timely delivery of prisoners to court. The situation was the subject of discussion between Home Office Ministers and members of Securicor's senior management, as a result of which an improvement plan was produced by the company. This has now been implemented and there are indications that it is beginning to achieve positive results.

Prisons

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish his response to the joint thematic report "Through the Prison Gate" published by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Chief Inspector of Probation.

Hilary Benn: "Through the Prison Gate" was the first joint thematic report by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Probation on the theme of resettlement. The two chief inspectors have provided an authoritative and thoughtful analysis of what the prison and probation services are doing together to reintegrate offenders back into the community and so reduce re-offending, and of what more both services need to do. I am very grateful to them for this analysis, much of which is reinforced in the report "Reducing re-offending by Ex-Prisoners" published today by the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU).
	Both of these reports recognise the importance of identifying the factors which need to be addressed for individual offenders if the risks of them re-offending are to be reduced. They also recognise the importance of developing an integrated approach to the management of offenders throughout their sentence.
	The chief inspectors' report makes recommendations on the need for:
	a national resettlement strategy;
	the position of short-term prisoners to be taken into account when reviewing the sentencing framework;
	the Prison and Probation Services to develop the what works strategy and to achieve consistency and continuity in preventing re-offending and reintegrating offenders into the community;
	a case management approach, and for the Prison and Probation Services to review the respective roles of their staff at different stages of a prison sentence;
	the Prison Service to develop a strategy for prisoners to be located closer to home;
	the Prison and Probation Services to develop a co-ordinated partnership plan as part of their what works resettlement strategy;
	both services to develop a joint strategy for drug and alcohol misuse;
	both services to provide guidance on the role of home detention curfew (HDC); and
	both services to ensure that a national public protection policy is developed for the assessment and management of risk in all cases.
	Many of these issues are also picked up in the SEU report. The Government will now be producing an action plan setting out our proposals for taking forward the recommendations. In drawing up that action plan we will also take account of the recommendations made by the chief inspectors.
	As the chief inspectors acknowledge, the Prison and Probation Services have made progress in developing and co-ordinating their resettlement policies under the what works approach. However, there is a need for greater overall strategic direction including greater sharing of good practice and performance targets.
	We have already taken steps to provide greater strategic direction by making arrangements for the establishment of the Correctional Services Board, which will bring together the heads of the Prison and Probation Services and the chair of the Youth Justice Board. Outside experience and skills will be provided by non-executive members. Early priorities for the board will include the development of a strategic plan for the correctional services, with a particular focus, as the report recommends, on improving provision for those sentenced to less than 12 months, and, in particular, 18 to 20 year old offenders.
	In taking forward both the chief inspectors' and the SEU reports we will also be developing a national resettlement strategy. Details will be set out in the action plan which will now be developed.
	That action plan will also include proposals for developing and piloting a case management approach, as recommended by the chief inspectors, building upon the pilot schemes which the Prison and Probation Services are already running.
	"Through the Prison Gate" draws attention to the benefits of keeping prisoners closer to their homes in the months before release and to the benefits of home detention curfew in helping prisoners prepare for release. We believe that HDC can play an important part in helping offenders to settle back into the community in a controlled way.
	We also recognise the advantages for resettlement of prisoners being able to serve their sentences closer to home. Although the increasing prison population makes it difficult to achieve this we will continue to explore both nationally and regionally what more can be done to minimise the number of prisoners held outside their home area.
	The importance of tackling drug and alcohol problems is highlighted in both "Through the Prison Gate" and the SEU report. A good deal of investment has been made by both services in this area, but there is clearly more to be done, particularly in ensuring continuity of care and of provision in the community. We will be addressing this issue further as we take forward the planning and implementation of our resettlement strategy.
	"Through the Prison Gate" also highlights the importance for a national public protection policy of the assessment and management of risk in all cases. The effective management of dangerous offenders is a priority for both the Prison and Probation Services. Both services have a detailed programme of work in support of their public protection objectives, and are represented on the Home Office Dangerous Offenders Advisory Group. The establishment of multi agency public protection panels has placed a statutory duty on police and probation services to make joint arrangements for the assessment and management of sexual, violent and other offenders who may cause serious harm. These panels work closely with the prison service and other agencies in managing the risk presented by such offenders. In addition the National Probation Service is working with the Police Information Technology Organisation on the development of a joint police/probation database, which will cover all offenders falling under the public protection duty placed on the police and the National Probation Service by the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.
	Both services are also working together with the Parole Board to develop revised guidance on the setting of licence conditions to ensure a more consistent approach and are piloting the use of electronic monitoring as a licence condition, focusing in particular on dangerous offenders.
	A detailed commentary on all the recommendations contained in the inspectorates' report describing work currently in hand by the Prison Service and the National Probation Service has been placed in the Library.
	"Through the Prison Gate" together with the SEU report, has set out a challenging set of tasks and the new Correctional Services Board. We will in due course be publishing an action plan setting out our detailed proposals in response to the SEU report, and the recommendations of the chief inspectors.

Police Authorities

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many households there are in each police authority.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Nigel Evans, dated 1 July 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of households in each police authority area. (64539)
	The latest available estimates, for the three month period ending November 2001, are given in the table attached.
	These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey and are not seasonally adjusted.
	
		Number of householder in each police authority in England and Wales; Autumn (September to November) 2001; not seasonally adjusted
		
			  Thousands 
		
		
			 All households in England and Wales 22,002 
			   
			 Police authorities:  
			 Avon and Somerset 646 
			 Bedfordshire 239 
			 Cambridgeshire 290 
			 Cheshire 381 
			 Cleveland 225 
			 Cumbria 228 
			 Derbyshire 421 
			 Devon and Cornwall 657 
			 Dorset 299 
			 Durham 272 
			 Essex 667 
			 Gloucestershire 254 
			 Greater Manchester 1,066 
			 Hampshire 805 
			 Hertfordshire 470 
			 Humberside 396 
			 Kent 662 
			 Lancashire 591 
			 Leicestershire 361 
			 Lincolnshire 275 
			 Merseyside 574 
			 City of London (64)— 
			 Metropolitan Police District 3,005 
			 Norfolk 341 
			 Northamptonshire 245 
			 Northumbria 606 
			 North Yorkshire 298 
			 Nottinghamshire 436 
			 South Yorkshire 559 
			 Staffordshire 415 
			 Suffolk 291 
			 Surrey 422 
			 Sussex 636 
			 Thames Valley 816 
			 Warwickshire 203 
			 West Mercia 507 
			 West Midlands 1,044 
			 West Yorkshire 896 
			 Wiltshire 266 
			 North Wales 283 
			 Dyfed Powys 195 
			 South Wales 513 
			 Gwent 243 
		
	
	(64) Sample size too small for reliable estimate
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey, Household Dataset

Children in Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children in care have been (a) homeless, (b) in bed-and-breakfast accommodation and (c) in temporary accommodation in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Website

Tim Collins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Cabinet Office website will be amended to reflect the recent organisational changes.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office website has been amended to reflect ministerial changes.